Love is such a Strange and Funny thing
by Gaosheng
Summary: Lies and deciet always seem to find it's way to the surface just when everyone thought they were dead and burried. It seems the only truth Serena Tsukino and Darien Chiba can rely on is the one they fear most: love is a very strange and funny thing.
1. Chapter 1

Please read through whole story before you make the judgment on this story. This is not a Hana Yori Dango remake (aka Meteor Garden). I must admit, however, and disclaim the beginning dilemma in this story (the poor girl goes to rich school and falls head over heels in love with a rich boy); it's all too similar with Hana Yori Dango for comfort. But I assure you (though you might not even care) that this is not a remake.

Please proceed to next chapter.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN:**Hello readers. This is my very first fan fiction. However, this is not my first time writing this chapter. Yes, I've rewritten it, and I believe it's probably not as crappy as before, but like every piece of work, it has it's ups and downs.

Please read and review, I would like to know what you all think of it. Before I rewrote this chapter, I got some skeptics who thought my story was very much like Hana Yori Dango, but I hope I've changed your mind with this version. Please do write and tell. If one wonders about this girl-goes-to-rich-school-falls-in-love-with-rich-boy storyline, I admit I was indeed inspired by Hana Yori Dango, but _Love is Such a Strange and Funny Thing_ takes on a different perspective...full of mystery and a bit of darkness in the characters' lives.

**Disclaimer: **All rights to Sailor Moon reserved to Naoko Takeuchi.

**Summary:** Finding herself forced to attend Japan's finest private university for the country's elite, Serena Tsukino decides to make the best of it. She comes to befriend Darien Chiba, heir to a billion dollars worth in business investments and companies, despite the major differences in income. Both are very reluctant to trust in their relationship, but it's too late, they find that they're both already way in over their heads to back out. But lies and deciet always seem to find it's way to the surface just when everyone thought they were dead and burried. And just when all seems to be well inparadise, Serena must come toterms with her past and decideover love or loyalty.Asshe and Darien come together topiece the puzzle that their parents'left for them,it seems theonly truththey can rely on is the one they fear most, and that is that love is a very strange and funny thing.

**Attention: **The story starts off purely as a romantic-comedy, but in the later chapters, it gets more serious as secrets are revealed.

* * *

On a lovely green hillside, standing tall and rigid, Akita University looked over a bustling Tokyo. It was a scorching summer's day, but to the students driving up the winding road that accented up to the prestigious school, it was nice and cool—with their air conditioning on full blast, who were they to care? Though summer vacation was now over, many were still not yet prepared for the oncoming semester; but there were plenty of things to look forward to for the returning students. There would be a new crop of freshmen coming in, and it would be a delight to see how they all turned out.

One very disturbed looking freshman, however, was about ready to call it quits just as she stepped foot onto campus. Tsukino Usagi, called Serena by her parents and close friends, was actually not at all disturbed when she started her trek to school on bicycle. She was furious.

As though her situation was not already worst than it was, life just kept getting crueler and crueler. She did not want to attend the school, the heat was pissing her off, making her sweat like a damn pig, and to top it all off, her new outfit, that she had bought with her week's salary was now ruined because she was nearly ran over by a motorcycle. On University grounds.

How it happened, she did not know, but what happened, well, she was still trying to figure that out herself. Serena was in, what her friend, Lita, would call her "PMS-ing" mood. But who was to blame her when she had just been black mailed by her parents' and jilted by a potential boyfriend over the summer? All she could think about that morning while riding up the hill to the school was that her life was becoming a living nightmare, and that nothing could get worse. Well, she was wrong of course.

The sun was high in the sky by the time Serena reached the school campus. As though a heavy weight over her shoulders had been lifted, she sighed with great relief. Stopping to the side of the road to gaze admiringly at the school, she felt the first milestone, in her road to successfully get through the school year, pass; she actually made it onto the grounds. That was a start at least.

Looking up at the old school, she frowned at the sight of it. Indeed, Akita University did live up to the rumors. Its buildings were grand, styled in the traditional Japanese structures in the front to give a feel of history to it. The lush green landscape surrounding it brought about a majestic beauty to the school that called for respect and power. The usual trademark feel when one was in the presence of the upper-class, Serena thought bitterly.

When she got her fill of the view, Serena pushed off on her bike again, and tried to calm her raging nerves at the thought of high society. Serena's family lived off what one would call a rather modest income a year and survived just by the skin of their teeth's. Most of which _she _made, handling two part time jobs and working at all hours of the night and mourning. And so her childhood was far from those of Japan's royalties and heiresses. She couldn't help but feel a bit awkward attending Akita University, the best private college for the country's rich and famous.

Being so caught up in her own thoughts of feeling sorry for herself, it was easy to understand that when Serena started pedaling across the street to get to the bike racks, she did not notice the speeding motorcycle heading right towards her. She was a raging ball of inferno, and nothing, not even in her current surroundings, could make her come to terms with her situation. That was until she heard the loud honk of the vehicle however, and had to force herself back into reality, which sent her falling onto the asphalt road.

The sound was ear-splitting. Before Serena went crashing to the ground at the sight of the motorbike coming straight at her, the motorcyclist made a hasty last minute turn to try and avoid her, but it was too late. His speed was just too great and the twist in the handle bars only sent the machine onto it's side and skidded about ten yards until it came to a screeching halt right in front of her bike.

But her eyes had been closed at the time, and so Serena was not too sure what had happened. When she did open her eyes however, she saw a totaled red motorcycle laid upon one of its sides with smoke rising from it. She paled when she saw him. Sprawled on his back with his arms stretched out beside him, the man neither moved nor spoke. The only sign of life in him was the rising and falling of his chest.

She sat on the ground for a minute just looking at him in shock until her senses finally came back to her and she jumped onto her feet again and went running towards the fallen man. Hoping to Kami that he was not seriously injured, Serena hastily unbuckled the clasp that fastened his helmet onto his head and pulled it off.

His eyes were shut. Serena knew that couldn't be good, knowing that it would mean he was unconscious and would need medical assistance. She hoped that he didn't get a major concussion either, paying for his medical expenses for getting a check up was bad enough, if he died, she didn't know where the hell she was going to get the money to pay off his family for killing him. Wait, Serena trembled, would she be jailed?

Serena looked down at the man whom she killed; wanting to know his face at least so she would know who it was exactly that she had done in. She blinked in surprise at the young taut and tanned face, framed with thick black hair. A muscle throbbed in his cheek which made her wonder over that small action. In her short inspection, she thought he was rather handsome, and guilt suddenly settled over her. It occurred to her that she had probably taken a man's life when he probably had everything going for him; he probably had a pretty girlfriend, a close and loving family, a bunch of cool friends….and she had taken that all away from him.

"Why didn't you move?"

She would have screamed if she had not been so overwhelmed with guilt at that moment. Instead, she jumped back and away from him. Serena watched warily as the man sat up and looked at her with cold hard eyes.

"Well?" He demanded again.

Chiba Mamoru, called Darien by his parents (because they thought it was more efficient for him to have an American name) and friends (because they were used to it), was feeling somewhat dazed by the accident. The thing was, he hadn't even seen her until it was too late—she was like a damn ghost that just popped up out of nowhere.

He continued to stare domineeringly at her face. "Excuse me?" Her brows drew together in a frown.

Slightly annoyed by her inability to answer a simple question, he scowled. "I asked you why you didn't move."

It was apparent to her that he thought his question actually made sense and she too scowled. "What is that suppose to mean?" She demanded; arching a brow.

"It means," he was quick to reply, already getting to his feet, "You saw me coming, why didn't you move out of the way?" His face remained stony as he did so; he did not betray one single emotion in his eyes.

Serena didn't know what to make of him, but one thing was for sure. She didn't like his tone. "You are wrong, sir," she replied in a clip tone, "I did not see you coming. As a matter of fact, when I did see you, I was surprised and I fell off balance. I will not apologize for not moving, however, until you apologize for your rudeness."

Darien didn't know whether to be amused or insulted. He had not expected her to answer in the way she did, looking so infuriated and answering with such honesty. Hell, she seemed very brave right now, and when he first saw her scooting away from him when he opened his eyes, he'd thought she was timid.

He watched her with unconcealed interest. "Well?" Serena queried, standing too, because she was starting to feel a little inferior looking up at him from the ground; the man was very tall.

A slow sensuous smile curved his lips at her sassy tone and the disrespectfulness in her body language the way she crossed her arms over her chest and raised her eyes to meet his. "I didn't mean to be rude; I'm sorry."

Stunned by his answer, Serena opened her mouth to accept his apology but stopped midway, and then asked skeptically, "If you didn't mean to be so rude, then why were you?"

Darien chuckled at that. Her suspicious expression made her child-like face look all the more adorable. "It actually wasn't your fault for the accident, it was mine. I was speeding, and I expected you to move."

This time it was Serena's turn to laugh. "So you've just admitted to being at fault, and yet you persist to say that I should've moved?" That was the most absurd thing she had ever heard.

Also to her surprised, the man did not look at all offended at her laughter. He just smiled a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes and asked, "Did that sound funny?"

"Yes," Serena placed her hands on her hips as she contemplated his cool disposition.

"I guess it was," He replied almost flippantly after a long pause and he shrugged his shoulders for an added effect.

With questioning eyes, Serena pursued the topic despite his obvious motion to change the subject. "Then why did you say it?"

The smile was wiped off of his face now as he looked down at her. "We should move out of the way," he tilted his heads toward the building traffic around them. And then he picked up his motorcycle and walked it over to the side of the road.

Serena did the same and smiled to herself about the smooth way he avoided her question. "If we were in the way, why didn't they just honk?" She jokingly remarked, referring to the cars that began congesting the roads.

The motorcyclist didn't look at all amused. "They would never think of doing such a thing." Serena would have laughed again, but the hard look in his eyes made it quite apparent that he was very serious.

"Well then they all must be very polite," Serena said sarcastically, quickly throwing a glance over her shoulder as cars went zooming by; a few drivers looked intently at her as they passed.

"Not quite," Darien bit out dryly. He studied his bike, summing up the damage done to it, and grimaced at the terrible shape it was in. He was going to have to hitch a ride with one of the guys—but then again, he could just phone home to have the chauffer bring him another ride. He averaged out the advantages and decided to just hitch a ride.

"So are you gonna answer me?"

"Huh?" Darien almost forgot about her. "I'm sorry, what was your question again?"

She let him see her exasperation, but Darien knew she wasn't at all annoyed; her eyes gleamed with amusement. "Why did you expect me to move out of your way, when it was you who—"

"I remember now," Darien cut in. The blonde smiled sweetly up at him, and his thought almost faltered at the charming way the two dimples in the side of her cheeks appealed to him. "I'm use to it."

"What," Serena asked, "you're use to people moving out of your way?" She looked appalled at the thought of it, and he couldn't help but laugh.

"It doesn't matter," He shrugged when his laughter subsided.

"You know," Serena's brows knitted together in a bemused expression, "You don't make a lot of sense. I hope you didn't hit your head too hard."

Her barb wrung a reluctant smile from him, "I'm okay, I had my helmet on, remember?" He held up the forgotten head gear and Serena smiled with him.

But she had to ruin the moment.

Something just wasn't right. She couldn't help but think about how arrogant his answer had been. I mean, come on, Serena reasoned with herself, he said he was 'accustomed' to people simply getting out of his way. That didn't sound right, it didn't sound possible. What was he, some kind of rich guy who…?

Surprisingly Serena did not smack herself in the head at her stupidity. For a moment there she forgot herself and her surroundings completely. In fact, she just didn't forget her surroundings; she forgot that she was in a different _world_. This was Akita University, school of the ultra-rich, world of the elitists. And he, this man, was one of them.

"You shouldn't expect everyone who isn't of your social standing to move out of your way," Serena huffed at him, when she found her voice.

The man just watched her with an expressionless face, but the surprise was there in his eyes.

"Don't pretend as though you don't know what I mean," she jabbed a finger at him, "You saw me on a bicycle and you thought that you could scare me, huh?" Serena accused.

She didn't know what came over her. It surely must be due to stress because she wasn't often so rude or blunt. There was just something about him that got under her skin, something about the way he carried himself in his strong broad shoulders that kind of just made her write him off as...well, a snobby rich kid...which apparently he was.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Darien watched as she pulled her finger away and grimaced.

"Fine, play pretend," Serena shouted, shaking her finger (what is he made out of, she wondered, metal?), "But I know your type. You were just testing to see if I would have done as you 'expected' to be done. You arrogant—"

He smirked at her; a cold, mocking gesture. "And ruin my bike in doing so; I don't think so." He snarled.

"W-well," Serena stuttered, realizing he did have a point. "Well, you thought I would move."

"Yeah, I did," he admitted, looking unperturbed.

"Then you admit it!" Serena thought she had won. Turning her back on him, she grabbed hold of her bike to continue her previous endeavor up to the school.

She had nothing else to say to him. And for the matter of his totaled bike…well, it really wasn't her business since it was his own damn fault that it was broken. However, she couldn't help but feel a tiny bit of guilt. She knew she wouldn't have reacted as harshly as she did if it weren't for all of the chaos in her life. He was just a victim of her pent up frustration, who, coincidentally, almost ran her over, and so got the brunt of her anger. Almost consumed with remorse for her uncalled for burst of fury, she nearly turned around to appologize. Just nearly, but she didn't. Her pride refused to give in, and she forced herself to keep moving.

From behind her a car came to a slow stop where the handsome stranger stood looking at her with scrutinizing eyes. It was easy for her to tell that the vehicle was a car without looking back to even check. But she was tempted to.

"Hey, Chiba," she heard a male voice call out, "What the hell happened to you?"

All too soon for Serena to comprehend, a hand grasped her risk and turned her around. She found herself going nose to nose with Chiba (she thought of the name the driver had called out). The hard tug had set her off balance and so he was her only support from falling. Her bike went crashing to the ground again.

She was mesmerized by his gaze, his harsh blue eyes that seemed so icy, chilling. "Look," he said, though he appeared detached, his voice held a note of sincerity and Serena was warmed by it, "I didn't mean to offend you, that wasn't my intention at all."

He turned suddenly on her, and a puzzled Serena was left to find her own balance as he hopped into the passenger seat of an open-roofed silver Ferrari and drove away.

* * *

**End Notes: **There you go, that's my rewritten first chapter. How do you like it? Please review. 


	3. Chapter 3

**AN:** This chapter was also rewritten, so please read through it and tell me what you think. If you've read my first drafts of this chapter tell me which one you liked best. Thank you.

**Disclaimer: **All rights to Sailor Moon reserved to Naoko Takeuchi.

* * *

With the pressure of his thumb, Malcolm lowered the volume of the song that had been blasting from the speakers. He gave Darien a fleeting sideways glance and noticed the lopsided smile playing on his friend's lips, just before he directed his gaze back onto the road. Malcolm grinned at what he saw, highly amused by Darien's unusual action; he was staring intently in the rearview mirror. 

"Care to explain," Malcolm flicked another glance at the dark haired man.

Hearing the amusement in his friend's voice, Darien frowned. "It's nothing."

"Who is she?" Malcolm had decided to look back just to find out what had caught Darien's attention. Spotting the scruffy looking blonde, Malcolm became more puzzled.

Darien contemplated the question and couldn't help but smile. "I don't know," he replied seriously. Never once in his life did he feel as out of sorts as he did when he spoke with the blonde woman. Names, Darien thought wryly. He knew how to greet a person and make an introduction—hell, he'd grown up in the business industry; but somehow propriety had eluded him today. Then again, this was not one of the normal circumstances he would have met anybody, and most certainly not a person of importance.

The perplexed expression on Darien's face was not lost to Malcolm, and he chuckled. "You didn't get a name?"

"Nope," Darien answered and then he grabbed hold of his emotions again and forced an uninterested look.

Coming to an empty parking space, Malcolm skillfully maneuvered the car into place and turned off the engine. Pulling out his keys, he turned to give Darien his full attention. "That's a first; it's not like you to be so forgetful. Anyways, what happened?"

Darien shrugged and got out of the car, "I got into a little accident; it's nothing serious." He walked around the car to lean up against the back; shoving his hands into his pant pockets, Darien waited as Malcolm pulled out his backpack and locked the car.

"All right," Malcolm thought to play along, "Is that why your bike looked so trashed; you were involved in a 'little' accident?" He scowled at Darien. "And will you get off my car?"

His shoulders shook with mirth at the white haired man's surly tone and Darien moved to follow him, "Yeah, I'll need a ride this afternoon, so when's your last class?"

"If you're asking for a ride, the answer's yes," Malcolm laughed, deciding to let go of the previous topic, "But unless you have class before three this afternoon, I can't help you."

"That's okay," Darien caught up to his friend and raised an elbow to rest on Malcolm's shoulder, "You can take me home and I'll just take my beamer back for my six o'clock class tonight."

"I thought we were going clubbing tonight," Malcolm gave a questioning look to Darien.

He had forgotten about that. Sighing, Darien nodded, "We will." There was no way he was going to back on his word, since it was he who had suggested it the other night. But damn, he really didn't feel like going out at all tonight. "Where are the rest of the guys anyways? It's—what—ten now?" He raised his wrist to look at the time on his watch.

"Almost eleven, dickhead," Malcolm rolled his eyes, and shrugged Darien's elbow off him, "And get the hell off me, it's hot enough as it is."

Moving himself away from Malcolm, Darien stopped beside him at the crosswalk. "You know what I mean," he said, "Where the hell are they?"

"Weren't you paying any attention last night?" Malcolm shot Darien a curious expression.

"Not particularly." In honest truth, he thought he might have been too drunk to remember.

His dry retort won a smile from Malcolm. "As I thought," he said smugly, "You were probably too busy thinking about getting into Mina's pants—Hey!" Darien gave him a good punch in the arm.

The mention of Darien's long-term girlfriend was a mistake on Malcolm's part. After high school, Mina left to Paris on a medical program while Darien stayed behind to earn his business degree and run the family business. Due to this separation, their relationship had become strained.

"You were saying?" There was a deceptively sweet note in Darien's tone. Malcolm cringed at his words.

"I was saying that _if_ you had been paying attention, you would have heard all of their schedules last night." Malcolm told him matter-of-factly.

"Well," Darien barked, "Where the hell are they?"

"Hmph," Malcolm grinned, "Should've paid attention now, shouldn't we?"

The fierce scowl from Darien got a quick answer from Malcolm, "All right, jeez," a hassled Malcolm explained, "James doesn't have class until twelve this afternoon, you know what a lazy ass he is, and Zachary already had class starting at eight—or was it that he wanted to come to school early to have a word with his professors?—whatever. Anyways, as for Andrew and Nathan, they both are taking the day off, but they're supposed to have class at eleven as well."

When Darien raised his brows questioningly, Malcolm replied, "Hangovers."

Darien chuckled, "And I thought _I_ was wasted this mourning."

"Maybe we shouldn't have anymore liquor the night before we go off to school," Malcolm suggested with a conspiratorial look to Darien.

"Nah," they both denied at once, and then they laughed.

Unbeknownst the two striking men, a crowd had formed to watch them walk up the stairs to one of the University buildings. The audience was in awe at the laughter that came from the pair. Girls primped and licked their lips in attempt to catch one of their attentions, and men stared enviously at the two. For, of course, they were the hottest catch in all of Japan.

* * *

Serena sighed as she propped her chin in the palm of her hand lounging over the pink counter in the _Sweet Dreams Bakery_. For the past afternoon, she had found herself pondering her strange encounter with the man named Chiba. She couldn't help but remember his face…and his breathtaking smile. In honest truth, her heart had fluttered at the sight of his sexy lips quirking up in amusement, and she was damned furious with herself for it.

She wished he would have died. Damn it and she had been so scared too, but now she was furious. She kept screaming at herself because it wasn't he who was making her mad, it was herself and her lack of discipline. Boy was the man arrogant, but she had fallen under his charms anyway.

Ha, and he had expected her to move out of the way for him. That was obscene! He didn't make any sense at all, and she was becoming too confused for her liking—she always liked to be in control of her emotions and situations, since this afternoon, all seemed to be getting out of hand for her

But then again, she argued, for a man with such arrogance and pride, he had humbled himself by apologizing to her. Well…he didn't out right say "I'm sorry", but she knew what he implied. And she didn't know what to think anymore.

She hadn't attracted much attention like she thought she would when she walked into one of the University buildings. In fact, no one spared her a glance, and she was greatly relieved. But when she entered her first class, she received the full blast of just how welcomed she was at the University.

"You're late," Professor Shimbo, her psychology teacher, told her with a sneer. "What is your name?"

He was looking down his nose at her, Serena noticed, and she thought to give as good as she got, "My name is Tsukino Usagi, sir," she replied rudely, tossing up her head, "And I know I'm late."

"Ah…Ms. Tsukino," The middle aged man frowned down at her. "Our most peculiar freshman starting here this semester," he said to the rows of students watching them, "I heard of your financial problems, Ms. Tsukino," he cupped one hand to his mouth as though to whisper that last part to her, but he rasped it out so loudly, the class snickered. "I hope you know that tardiness is not tolerated here at Akita University, please take a seat and do not ever disturb my class again, if you're late do not bother coming at all. Those are my words to you if you're hoping to get through this school year unscathed." He looked highly pleased with himself when he was finished with his lecture.

"Osaka!" The professor shouted, after looking down at his attendance sheet.

A girl with shoulder length brown hair stood up. "Yes, sir," she stuttered. Serena could easily see the girl was trembling with fright.

"Take a seat next to Osaka, Tsukino," Professor Shimbo smirked, "I think you two will have a lot in common."

Serena had always thought she was very respectful to her elders, but this man did not deserve her kindness at all. Giving him a cold glare she replied, "I wonder just how much a professor makes to make him think he can treat people of middle class like shit; must be a lot."

She didn't have much of a distance to walk, since the girl standing up sat exactly in the front of the class, but she did get to see the look on her classmates faces. They all wore cocky grins, and Serena itched to beat the crap out of them all. She was very capable of doing it; it was just that she knew she would get kicked out of the damn school and would probably have to pay for everyone's medical bills and so she refrained from doing so.

As she sat down, Osaka, the girl with curly shoulder-length hair, turned to her and whispered, "Is it true? You're from middle class?" Her eyes were wide with curiosity, Serena noticed, and not of disgust.

Sighing, Serena shook her head as Professor Shimbo began addressing the class once again. "No," she answered the girl, and was surprised when she looked disappointed.

"Oh," Osaka said with a hint of regret in her voice.

Feeling a bit guilty, Serena decided to tell her the full truth. "I'm from low class, not middle."

Osaka's eyes widened again, and then she managed a weak smile. "I'm Molly," she extended her hand for Serena to shake.

A genuine smile curved her lips at the friendly gesture, "Hi Molly, I'm Usagi, but everyone calls me Serena."

The girl nodded, "Usagi, if you don't mind me asking, how did you get into Akita, anyway?"

"I guess you didn't get it," Serena chuckled softly so not to interrupt the Professor's lecture on the curriculum for the semester. "Call me Serena. And to answer your question, my parent's paid for me to get in."

Molly raised a quizzical brow. "I'm afraid I don't get it."

A soft understanding smile stretched across Serena's face. "I didn't expect you to."

They sat in silence for a long minute; just listening to their instructor go on about the needed materials for the class such as books and folders, until Molly thought that Serena was never going to explain.

"I-I'm also from low class too," Molly admitted shyly, looking down at her laptop.

"Oh, Molly," Serena said soothingly, "It's nothing to be ashamed of."

"I know, but Serena, however you got in here, don't mess up your chances. We're with Japan's finest, and you don't want to make a spectacle of yourself."

A dark frown settled across Serena's forehead. "How did you get in, Molly," she asked in a tone that concealed her suspicions.

"A scholarship," Molly replied proudly now, "I worked very hard to get where I am, you see. You're very lucky, Serena, that your parents were able to pay for you to get into this University, while others, like me, had to pull off perfect A's to attend."

The set-down was there in her voice, Serena could detect it. It was in the way she straightened her shoulders with importance and in the way she bared her head up high. A sick feeling washed over Serena as she stared down at this girl. They both had probably shared the same childhood being both from lower class. They had gone through the same hardships, the same discriminations and stereotypes…and yet they were completely different.

Serena's eyes lowered menacingly, ready to put the girl in her place, "You think you know me, but you don't, girly. My parents might have blown off their life's savings to get me into this damn school, but that doesn't mean I'm a brainless street rat. I had good grades too—top of my class to be exact, but you don't see me flaunting my intelligence do you? I could have gotten a scholarship too, you know, I could have come here, but I didn't want to. Why would I want to fit myself into such an image of superficiality? Why would _you_?"

Molly became rigid in her seat. The hurt in her eyes was apparent to Serena, but she couldn't bring herself to care. Forcing a stony expression on her face, Serena turned her attention back to Professor Shimbo.

When the class was over, Serena collected her things and shuffled out the door with the rest of the students. Her next class wouldn't start until 1:30, and that was an hour away, so Serena decided to look around campus and maybe find a library so she could sit down and relax. Libraries were always such quiet places; at least there she knew she wouldn't be disturbed.

Just as she started walking down the hall from her first class, someone began tugging on her white (though now black from her fall on the road) button-down shirt.

It was Molly.

Placing her hands on her hips Serena smiled, not wanting the brunette to see her irritation. "Yes?"

The silly girl bowed her head, "I'm sorry."

"Yes, I'm sure you are," Serena said sweetly and was about to turn away when Molly grabbed onto her shirt sleeve.

"I'm serious, Serena," the girl looked up at her with glazed white eyes. "And you were right. I'm such a fake. It's just that I want to be somebody. I've lived a terrible life of poverty; at times going hungry and cold with no money to pay for food or even proper clothing for the winter and nights. As a child hearing such wondrous things about the world around me and yet not being able to travel there. And so I set a goal for myself to become wealthy and to get away from that horrible life, and I guess I kind of just shoved my self-respect out of the way to get where I wanted to be. I'm so sorry; I was talking out of spite when I said those things to you."

Lifting a hand to rest on her shoulder, Serena smiled warmly, "It's okay; I know what you mean. I've been through all of that myself—except, of course, I never felt compelled to prove myself in any other way than be, well, me. And you shouldn't too. Try to live up to something that you're not, I mean. You can always set high standards for yourself, but you don't need to look down on others." Molly lifted her head to look up at Serena with glassy eyes and was taken aback by the blonde's easy acceptation of her apology. "Hey," Serena beamed with joy, "Wanna join me in the library—I mean you don't have class yet do you?"

Molly tried to stifle her laughter, "No, I don't have class for another hour."

Taking her new friend's hand in hers, Serena was ecstatic, "Good, let's go!" And she skipped all the way down the hall, half dragging a bemused Molly behind her. "By the way," Serena cast a glance over her shoulder at her new friend, "Where is it?"

* * *

"You've met Chiba?" Serena nearly tackled down her brunette companion as she cupped a hand over her mouth.

"Not too loud," Serena hissed as she sat back down in her chair.

Molly gave her a sheepish grin, "Sorry," she blushed.

After Molly gave Serena the directions to the library, they settled quietly into a corner of the old building. Libraries were usually dull and grey, this one was no different. At the top of the high ceiling was a glass sunroof that allowed light to poor into the dusty room. Rows and rows of wooden bookshelves stretched from wall to wall, with only a single aisle splitting them into two sets on each side. In the very center was a group of cherry-red oak desks with matching sets of four chairs. Each desk had a stand for a dictionary and a tiny lamp.

"So who is he anyway?" Serena asked, leaning back in her chair. She did her best to sound indifferent, when really she was quite fascinated. Glancing up the staircase to the second floor—where Molly explained had all the computers, though nobody used them because everybody carried their own laptops—by their table, she looked to see if anybody was listening.

Brown eyes opened wide at Serena's question. "You mean you're not kidding?" Molly whispered as she leant forward on her elbows.

At Serena's look of irritation, Molly became quick and informative. "Well, you've heard of the Chiba family right? The ones who own—"

"No shit!" Serena nearly shouted, slamming the palm of her hands on the desk; that name, she _knew_ that name, it was very well known. "You can't possibly mean—"

Nodding her head, Molly finished, "Yes, Senior Chiba is the heir to the entire business and fortune."

Feeling light-headed at that information, Serena closed her eyes and laid her head back. Everything was making sense now. It was no wonder he had appeared so cool and sophisticated—he was none other than Chiba Darien. At birth he was the world's richest infant, worth more than one billion dollars because of the immense wealth of his family's businesses and investments! His arrogant answers, his handsome face—she wondered if any part of it was still real, she doubted it though, he probably got quite a surgeon to scope _that_ face—everything about him was making sense to her now! No wonder why nobody in the cars dared honk at them on the road, no wonder why he had expected her to move out of his way when he was speeding down the road…hah!

Okay, so he was mister hotshot on campus, that still didn't change anything, Serena thought bitterly. The last time she checked Japan already had an emperor, so Chiba was no better than she, an ordinary civilian, albeit, a _very_ _powerful_ one.

"Oh Serena, don't you get it?" Molly looked forlorn.

Opening one eye, Serena stared intently at her friend from across the table. "Not really," she replied truthfully.

Sparing a quick glance over her shoulder at the rest of the occupants in the library, Molly turned back to Serena with a look of sheer terror. "We're in jeopardy!"

Rolling her eyes skyward Serena let her disgust show. "Oh please, Molly," she groaned, "Don't tell me you live in fear of that man—"

"It's not like that." Molly's expression implored for Serena to remain silent and hear her out. "Think about it," she gripped her armrests with such strength that her knuckles turned white. "Family's like his hold very dear places in this school, besides the fact that they have positions on the Akita school board, they give very generous donations to the University. And that means that their kids, such as Chiba, pretty much have free reign over the campus. If they want to be late to class, the teachers will let them slide, if they are displeased with certain instructors, you better expect a new professor teaching class the next day, and most disturbingly is that if they don't particularly care for a student, well…he or she is a goner too!"

Fury rose in Serena until she was shaking with it. "No," she said in a deadly quite tone.

"Yes!" Molly continued nodding her head emphatically. "For students like you and I, we don't stand a chance. As long as we don't get in Chiba's way, or any of his other friend's way we'll be fine. That really isn't a problem anyway," Molly shrugged, her disposition lightening, "I mean they don't even spare us a glance when passing down the halls, why would they bother giving us the time of day to allow us to upset them."

* * *

"So how was Akita University, huh?" Serena's co-worker, Lita, at _Sweet Dream's Bakery_ asked as she came up behind the seemingly troubled blonde.

Registering that she had let her mind wander off on her once again, Serena straightened from her position lounging over the counter. Stretching her arms high above her head, Serena turned to greet her childhood friend. Lita and she had gone through grade school together, and were planning to attend a community college together too after high school, but due to certain circumstances, Serena was unable to do so and ended up at Akita University.

It was all her parents' fault of course. She couldn't believed they had used their entire life's savings (including her own) to get her into the University. She couldn't let the money go to waste, however. Her parents had already paid for a whole year's worth of education, and there was no way of retrieving that money, and so she really didn't have a choice. But now she had to have two jobs just to make payment for their small two room apartment. Along with her job at _Sweet Dreams Bakery_, she worked as a waitress at _Cup of Tea_, a pub that served tea, coffee, smoothies/milkshakes, and other sweet snacks. And despite all of the hours she put in overtime, she never made enough.

"Let me tell you, Akita is not as great as one by think. Going to school with rich spoiled girls and guys is not what I may call fun." Serena made a face and Lita laughed.

Wrapping her arms around the petite blonde, Lita gave her a reassuring smile, "My poor baby, you'll get through it!"

Wrinkling her nose, Serena removed Lita's arms. "I'm _so_ not feeling touchy-touchy right now, so two words: _get off_."

"Whoa, talk about serious issues," Lita retorted gruffly, "What's your problem?" She moved to lean against the counter beside Serena. Giving her hair a toss over the shoulder, Lita looked to the glass doors and then back to Serena. Business was unusually slow today.

"Nothing."

The quick curt reply roused curiosity in Lita. Being friends since the age of ten, there's specific traits you pick up and learn to understand. Serena's flippant but defensive tone was definitely setting off signs in the brunettes head, and they were saying that something was indeed bothering her friend.

Giving Serena a stern look, Lita said in a no-nonsense voice, "Alright, tell me what happened."

A startled laugh came from Serena as she studied Lita's expression. It was the one she usually wore when she was about to go into a fight. "I can't believe you," Serena laughed, "I said nothing was wrong."

Folding her arms across her chest, Lita frowned down at the girl who was trying desperately to evade the topic. "No, Serena," Lita shook her head, "I can't believe you."

Their gazes locked for a long moment.

Sighing, Serena gave up. "You're the most intimidating person I've ever met," she commented dryly.

Laughing, Lita shook her head. "Stop stalling, smart one."

With a final glare to Lita, Serena began her long tale. "I nearly got ran over by a motorcycle, but it turned just before it hit me and it went crashing to the ground. I fell from my bike in shock and watched as the motorcycle driver flew to the ground. I was so scared, I thought he died, but he didn't. And it turns out that he's Chiba Mamoru, heir to, well, billions! Do you know what that means? It means I'm dead meat! But then again he didn't strike me as cruel and snobby so I don't think he'll do what Molly said he'd do and expel me—"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, slow down," Lita was completely taken aback by Serena's outburst. "You almost got ran over by a motorcycle—wait, you met Chiba Mamoru—huh, who's Molly, and why would you get expelled?"

Serena pushed her hands through her hair in aggravation. "See," she said contemptuously, "_this_ is why I didn't want to tell you; I knew you were going to be all up in my face about—"

"Calm down, Serena," Lita rolled her eyes, "I was just asking. If you'd make a little more sense, maybe I wouldn't be questioning you."

Grumbling to herself, Serena glowered at the pretty brunette with flashing emerald eyes. "Fine."

And she began recounting her tale…in much greater detail. When she finished, Lita was both perplex and infuriated.

With slit-like eyes, Lita proclaimed, "If they kick you out of school I'll kick rich-boy's ass."

Touched by her friend's loyalty, Serena smiled. After recounting her day, she felt much relieved, all her frustration and anger was fast fading. "Thanks, Lita, I always knew I could count on you."

A serious frown came across Lita's face as she shoved her hands into the pockets of her pink apron, "I'm serious, Serena; they can't do that. Expel you, I mean. Come on, wasn't it _his_ fault for the accident?"

The smile on Serena's face faltered. She nodded in answer, "Yeah…I guess so…but we—I mean, I don't think it'd do me any good dragging on that incident. Nobody was hurt and—"

"See," Lita broke in, "That's your problem, Serena. You're way too nice for your own good! Grow a back bone!"

"Hey," Serena shouted in defense, crossing her arms over her chest, "I do have a back bone; it's just that…er…I don't want to be a nuisance."

Lita groaned and shot Serena disgusted look, "A nuisance? Serena, you could have been killed! You should at least make him pay for your clothes!"

That was another thing about Serena, Lita knew. The silly girl's pride would never allow her to accept money from another person. She didn't want to be a charity case, Serena argued whenever the issue of money came up. That was understandable. It really was. But in this case, Lita shook her head, this wasn't charity money. Serena deserved the money.

"It's okay, Lita," Serena reassured her friend, "If I'm not bothered by it, then you shouldn't be either."

"Well if you're not gonna look after yourself," Lita responded angrily, throwing up her hands in the air, "_I_ will."

With her head in her hands, Serena gave a low grunt. "You'll end up killing me, is what your protection is gonna do."

Rubbing the back of her neck to ease the tension, Serena lifted her head to give Lita a searching stare. The brunette's face was flushed from anger; her eyes reflected her furry like the shine of a freshly sharpened dagger but the color of murky green. Her long nose was held high, nostrils flared. Firm pink lips were tightly shut in her violent mood. The loose strands falling for her high ponytail framed her face and gave her a warrior-princess like appearance that flashed a don't-mess-with-me sign across her. "Promise me, Lita." Serena said softly; her heart swelling at the loyalty of her friend.

"It depends," Lita huffed, blowing at her bangs, "what it is you want me to promise."

"Promise me you won't try to go to Akita—promise me you won't confront Chiba—promise me you won't take my problems on as though they're yours. Please, Lita, promise me that."

Her voice trembled. It was not lost to Lita. Looking down into beseeching sapphire blue eyes, Lita nodded. "Fine."

* * *

"We saw you with Chiba the other day."

Serena looked up from her book to the group of people that had formed in front of her table. Two guys had decided to sit down at the two seats a cross from her, while a girl pulled the vacant chair beside her to straddle it backwards. Three more girls stood, staring distastefully down at Serena.

Class didn't start for at least another half hour for Serena, and so she had decided to take a lunch break in the provided cafeteria room in the University. What had been a few lovely quiet minutes of peace to herself, soon dissipated at the arrival of the group of unwanted classmates.

It was the girl who was sitting that had spoken. With her head cocked to the side, the red head smiled slyly. "Well?" She demanded, her hands gripping the back of the seat in front of her chest.

"Did we interrupt you?" One of the guys laughed as he grabbed her book from out of her hand.

"Oh…" the second guy chipped in, "Reading, I see. Don't tell me it's a sappy romance. What's it called…_Paradise_? What the hell? You're reading an English book—what for, I'm in your class, and I know for sure the Professor didn't assign it?"

Irritated, Serena opened her mouth to reply but before she could, the girl sitting beside her pulled on her hair. "I asked you a question, Tsukino."

Her anger began to wax at the uninvited group of idiots at her table. Snatching the book from the jeering teenage boys, Serena turned her attention to the girl sitting beside her. "You didn't ask me anything, smart one. If you want an answer learn how to ask a question. Now, I'd appreciate it if you would leave me—"

Serena caught the red-head's hand as it moved to slap her. Stunned, the girl gaped opened-mouth at the grip Serena had on her hand. At the same time, Serena just about had it with the girl. "Nice try," Serena said in a menacing voice, "But next time I'll break your wrist."

"Fuck you," The girl shouted as she tried to pull her hand out of Serena's grip.

"I'll pass on that," Serena let go of her hand and began to collect her things.

As Serena began walking away, one of the guys shouted after her, "You're nothing but trash. You don't belong here, get it? If you stay any longer, you'll regret it."

Her hands clenched into fists at her side. Serena had stopped walking. She turned around to look at the scrawny boy who had snatched her book. "We'll see about that," she sneered. With as much courage as she could muster, Serena walked a strong steady pace with her head held up high.

"I saw what you did to Chiba's bike," the red-head continued to call at her retreating back in the cafeteria, "Just wait and see, Tsukino. You'll be expelled before you know it; just drop out. You're wasting your time and money here. Once you've messed up with Chiba, you're out. That's the way it goes."

It was a long walk from the back of the Akita cafeteria to the exit; as Serena continued passed tables, students turned to stare, icily, tauntingly, at her. When she was out in the breezeway, Serena headed directly to her next class. A burning furry was growing deep inside her.

Serena ran down the hallway of the first floor of building A of Akita University trying to find the nearest staircase. She had just dismissed herself from class just as the bell rung for the session to begin. When Professor Yamaguchi, asked why on earth she had to pick that particular moment to be excused from class, Serena had answered, she needed to shit badly. Although the class chuckled at her answer, she got what she wanted. Molly had looked at her with surprise since the two had just went to the restroom ten minutes before the class had started, and so she sent Serena a questioning look that was answered with a shake of the blonde's head, meaning she did not want to talk about it.

Red hot anger coursed through her. She replayed the scene in the cafeteria in her head and felt the flames in her belly roar. The red head, whom Molly had identified for her by the name of Reizei, had mentioned Chiba specifically in her warning. What was she trying to imply? Serena wondered. Was she really endangered of being expelled? It was ridiculous! Serena shouted to herself.

One man could not go about the school removing people that displeased him—he was ruining the lives' of people by doing so; it was cruel, unjust—downright evil! She could not believe that once Chiba decided not to like a person, the whole school would shun that person too, following suit. It was outrageous of the special privileges he had. And that was why Serena was now running. She wanted to break free, to rid herself of the bitterness inside her, to be alone and just…for once…scream.

Minutes later after climbing ten flights of stairs (she did not have the patience of waiting for the elevators) she found herself on top the Building A's rooftop. Her heart was beating, sweat beaded her forehead, and yet, she found it all the more exhilarating. And so she thought to herself, let the battle of wills begin. She ran to the railing that enclosed the rooftop.

"I will not be afraid! Come rain or wind I will prevail. Through insult and injury I'll become stronger. I can take all of their crap! I can do it. They're just rich—no wait, their _Daddies_ were rich, and that'll get them no where in life. I won't let them bully me, I'll get through this school year and I'll be fine. I will not be expelled. Chiba may be spoiled, selfish, inconsiderate, mean, self-centered, and arrogant, but that doesn't mean he can do anything he pleases! Not to me. I won't let him. I hate you Akita! I hate you Chiba! I hate everyone of you rich—" Serena clutched the railing. Breathing in hard as she tried to calm her pulsing heart. Her chest was falling and rising with every breath she took and released.

And then she heard his voice, "I'm sorry you feel that way, but I think you'll be glad to no that I don't return the same sentiment." There was an amused lilt in Chiba's voice.

* * *

**End Notes: **I changed this chapter somewhat, and added and fixed a lot of things. I hoped you enjoyed this one better than the old one. Please review and tell me. 


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** All rights to Sailor Moon is reserved to Naoko Takeuchi.

* * *

Chapter 3

Serena's head whipped around to stare at the handsome dark haired man on the other side of the rooftop. A soft breeze blew. But neither she nor he moved. His penetrating blue eyes clahed hers. Serena's breath was caught in her throat. His beautiful face was once again devoid of portraying any emotion.

Damn it, Serena cursed. She pulled her gaze away from his and turned to face the railing once again, looking at the skyline of the city; pretending she never saw his good-looking face staring back at her. She could feel the blood rushing to her cheeks, the heat rising in her neck. Serena felt utterly stunned, and was at a loss of words.

Hoping she did not look like a tomato, she didn't dare glance in his direction.

If she wasn't herself at that moment, she was positive she would have laughed too. Come on, a girl who was shouting, half talking to herself, leaning over the railing on the rooftop spewing insults directed at a group of people whose, one of the more, 'treasured' member of that group was only a few feet away listening to her every word; even Serena had to admit how funny that must seem. If that did not sound like a bad asian soap opera, she didn't know what one would be.

"Why is it that everyone uses me as an excuse to scare little girls to drop out of school? Am I right?" Serena nearly jumped over the railing and off the building at the sound of Chiba's voice.

He had somehow made his way to stand beside her with his elbows resting on the railing. He too watched the passing cars, pulling in and out of the parking lot below. His expression now relaxed. Serena couldn't take her eyes off him. He was beauty and perfection, yet so callous and so cold.

Serena could only nod dumbly as Darien continued to stare at the scenery.

"Wow, I didn't know you knew so much about me either." Serena blushed a deeper hue of crimson red as the man continued to give his insight on her opinions.

"I'm sorry if I offended you, I was just letting out my anger…" Serena blurted out in a rush, "…on…you and um…yeah," she finished lamely.

She was most surprised however when she heard a soft booming sound come from beside her. The man's soft chucking sounded like a gong that had just been struck, but had a magical melody that enthralled her.

"To lie, you would have to be skilled in deceit," Darien said, secretly meaning that he knew she was lying and wasn't very good at it.

"Oh, all right. Fine. I do think that you guys are spoiled, arrogant, and selfish people who think they can get everything you want," Serena admitted, finding the ability to become loud once again. "But don't think you can push me around like you do the rest of the school!"

"Tell me something I didn't overhear," he said quietly, not even paying her the slightest attention.

"Arrogant pig…" Serena muttered under her breath, annoyed that he thought she was too lowly to even give the proper respect to look at her when she was speaking.

"Excuse me?" Her comment finally caught his attention. His head turned to stare at her, astonished at her courage to insult him.

Serena looked down at her hands. She could feel her face become flushed again.

Seconds passed and he still didn't say anything else. Was he still waiting for her to answer him? She could feel his penetrating gaze upon her face. He was analyzing her and it made her feel nervous. But after a minute, her anxiety turned into anger.

'Who did he think he was? His behavior was downright insulting!' she said to herself.

"What are you looking at!" Serena shouted at him as her head snapped up to stare him in the face, and was surprised when she saw him smiling at her. His was mouth opened, showing his white straight teeth.

"Nothing much worth looking at, if that is what you want me to tell you," came his reply. His voice was dripping with sarcasm.

"Why you pompous, son of a--"

"Ever considered wearing something that actually fit?" The man asked her, staring at her baggy clothes.

"I don't even know you and you're already getting on my nerves!" Serena yelled at the top of her lungs.

'What an infuriating man!' Serena thought, her face turning red, not with embarrassment, but with raw anger.

She looked at the handsome man's face and saw surprise. His mouth was slightly open to show he couldn't believe what he heard, and his eyes widened with utter shock.

"Gees, no need to look so surprised. I'm kinda new," Serena tried to assure him.

And with that his grin was back in place again, his lazy boyish grin that made her feel light headed.

"That explains a lot, thank you," he said, staring into her eyes. "My name's Chiba Mamoru. Now may I ask what is yours?" Serena saw how his eyes twinkled with amusement.

" Tsukino Usagi, Mr. Chiba, but everyone calls me Serena." Serena tried to force her voice to sound casual as she stared into the depths of his ocean blue eyes.

"That's an English name," Darien commented as he broke their gaze and turned to watch the parking lot below again.

"No really, and all this time I thought it was Japanese." Serena replied sarcastically.

Chuckling softly again, Darien stared at the girl's enraged face. Ms. Tsukino had wit, and a bite that could hurt too, he noticed. She had a nice enough face, although he couldn't really tell with her golden hair in such a tangling mess that covered most of her face. He noticed her eyes though, they were deep sapphires, and when she was riled like the way she was now, her eyes turned into an indigo.

He couldn't say too much about her figure. Her baggy clothing hid her every curve. That is assuming she had curves.

It was easy to tell that she was not from top of the class, and that pleased him most because it would mean that she wasn't like most women he knew. Which were women who were pampered and conceited. And he was even more surprised at the fact that she did not cower nor submit to him like most did. In fact, she had the gull to stand up to him. She had called him an arrogant pig.

Darien stared down at the sorry excuse of a woman beside him. She barely reached his shoulders, but she was not intimidated. She seemed so innocent.

"Beep, Beep, Beep!" Darien was pulled out of his thoughts as the beeping of Serena's pager went off.

He watched in amusement as her hands patted over every pocket on her clothes until finally she reached into the back pockets of her jeans and pulled out the buzzing electronic device. Darien continued to stare as she mumbled the number on her pager aloud to herself and hitting her forehead with her free hand. She let out a small groan.

"I have to go, no one takes a shit this long," Serena said to Darien as she placed her pager back into her pocket.

Molly had page her, probably as a signal to get her ass back into the classroom before Mr. Yamaguchi came for her himself.

Darien just stared at her in confusion. Serena blushed as she realized what she just said.

"I…um…told Professor Yamaguchi I wanted to…um…shit…you know…so I could…come out here…to…uh…vent my frustration?" Serena tried to explain, blushing all the more, making her face turn rose red. She scratched her head in a conscious action, chuckling nervously like a maniac.

Darien looked at his watch. Serena noticed it for the first time. It was pure silver, with small diamonds encrusted into it. And she came back into reality. Mr. Chiba was a rich man, one whom she should not associate with. But…she had to be polite.

"I should probably go now too," Darien told her as he looked up from his watch.

She noticed how his face had hardened again; it was expressionless, and once again devoid of any emotion.

"Oh…yea…um…a shower and a change of clothes normally don't take more than half an hour," Serena mumbled, remembering the scene in the hallway. It was just another reminder why she despised people like him so much.

Darien raised an eyebrow, "So you saw that too, huh?" He inquired playfully.

"Uh, you can say that. I had a front row line of vision too. I bet many would have killed to have had their precious cargo knocked out of their hands by their psychology teacher as he is knocked down by a volley ball," Serena said sarcastically in reference to the volley ball game she had witnessed this afternoon when she had gotten lost trying to find her math class and ended up in the gym instead.

Darien however, did not find it at all funny. Instead, he turned away, walking towards the door leading to the staircase into the building.

He called over his shoulder, "It was nice meeting you Ms. Tsukino. We shall meet again," and with those last words, he pulled the door opened and disappeared behind the closing door.

Serena continued to look at the door for a minute, listening to the sound of his footsteps descending down the stairs before it became no longer audible.

Strange. This man was so strange to her. And slowly, she made her way to class, putting him away from her thoughts.

"What took you so long?" Molly asked her as they came out of Mr. Yamaguchi's class.

"Um…you know how these things go…" Serena mumbled to her, walking to the exit.

She was going to be late for work if she didn't hurry. She had to close up at the _Cup of Tea_ that night. And to make it worst, she had to write an essay for Mr. Yamaguchi's class, and study for a quiz that Mr. Shimbo assigned for the following day.

"You must have had some lunch, maybe you shouldn't eat tuna again," Molly suggested with light concern. She took out a copy of a text book from her backpack and thumbed though it for a second.

"Yeah…maybe I shouldn't. Um, Molly do you still have class?" Serena agreed, and changed the subject, not wanting to fabricate a story about how much her stomach pained her, due to the tuna and that was why she had to use the restroom so long.

"Yea, I have human anatomy next; it's a pretty tuff course," Molly replied, not taking her gaze off her book.

"Um…ok then, I guess I should be going now. Bye Moll, I'll see you tomorrow," Serena said with feign enthusiasm as she hurried out of the building to her bicycle.

* * *

Darien stood by the window, his head rested on the windowpane as he watched Serena ride off on her bike, slightly unbalanced from the weight of her school accessories in her backpack. 

He was in the university gym playing basket ball with the guys. His short confrontation with her stuck in his mind. Serena had struck him as someone who would worship him like the rest of the female population. She was poor, not very pretty, and not very liked by most people in the school. He was sure she would have tried to get on his good side, but instead, she had kept her chin up high with pride.

She was very different. And he liked that.

Suddenly he turned around and grasped the basketball that had been thrown at his head.

"Awww man, how can you do that Darien?" James complained.

"Didn't I warn you James?" Andrew laughed, "Darien has eyes in the back of his head!"

"Ha-ha…you are so funny Andrew," Darien scathingly commented.

Darien dribbled the ball for a moment, luring Andrew into his trap. Taking the bait, Andrew went forward to steal the ball from him, but was stopped as the ball smacked him on the head.

Malcom, James, Nathan, and Zachary laughed.

They played for another hour before heading towards the men's room to shower and change out of their sweat drenched clothes.

"Where we going tonight?" Nathan asked while drying his brunette hair with his towel as they sat in the men's room.

"James wants us to go to _Club 101_, he has another victim to meet," Andrew replied as he slipped a clean white tee over his head.

James punched him in the arm. "Don't be mad that I'm getting some and you aren't," he mockingly replied.

"You didn't need to tell us that. I mean, we already know the girl would have to be a slut if she wanted to go out with y--"

Andrew's remark was stopped as James put him in a headlock. Andrew struggled a bit before James let him go, a smug smile on his face.

"Cut it out, you two pinheads," Malcom said, shaking his head of white hair wildly, flinging water everywhere.

"Ugh…watch it!" Zachary shouted, putting up his hands to shield him from the water flying from Malcom.

"You're quiet," Malcolm said to Darien as he stopped shaking the water out of his hair.

"I have nothing to say," Darien replied as he buckled his belt.

"You're not thinking about Mina are you?" Malcolm insisted, trying to pry into his friends thoughts.

"No, but that reminds me; I need to call her," Darien answered, shutting the red door of his locker.

"I bet you can't wait to see her again, huh? Haven't been laid since she left; being in love must suck," James asked his dark haired friend as he too finished getting dressed.

"Man, is that all you can think about?" Nathan said, shaking his head with disgust.

"You know the way James is; he has a penis for a head," Darien remarked, a trace of a smile on his lips as he tied his shoes; and the others bursted into laughter.

Immediately, Darien's hand shot out to stop James head from ramming into his body.

"I told you Darien had eyes in--"

Andrew ducked just in time to dodge Darien's backpack from hitting him in the face.

"Ha-ha, very funny," Andrew said dryly, as he got up and slung his own backpack over his shoulder and threw Darien his.

Conversation died as they all finished dressing and left the men's room.

It was decided, tonight, they were going to _Club 101_.

The pounding music filled the room. The club was lit by flashing lights. There was a murmuring amongst the crowds in _Club 101_ as six men entered, taking seats in an isolated corner.

"I'm going to the billiard room," Zachary announced over the loud music, "who's coming with me?" He looked at his friends.

"I'm coming," Nathan answered, getting up out of his chair, "I don't feel like watching James and his date," Nathan didn't finish his sentence as he saw a pretty blonde waitress walk by in her skimpy uniform, "on second thought, I'll be right back," he said dazedly as he followed the young lady down a dimly lit hall leading to another bar.

Zachary turned to leave to the pool tables in the next room when Andrew shouted, "Wait, I'll come," and he left Darien and Malcom alone at their table.

Darien watched his friends' retreating backs as they disappeared into the crowd.

"James is right, you know?" Malcom quietly said to Darien.

Malcom watched as his friend turned his head to look at him. His dark haired friends' eyebrow's raised, questioningly.

"He's right about what…?" Darien asked, not knowing what his white haired friend was coming from, making such an out-of-place comment.

"Are you serious with Mina, then? Because you haven't touched another girl since she left. James was right. So, are you in love with her?" Malcom interrogated.

"I thought I was," came Darien's reply.

Malcom waited for Darien to continue, but only silence followed his friend's statement.

"Are you gonna explain, or do I have to force you to?" Malcom persisted. He stared intently at his friend's cool and untouchable composure.

Darien didn't answer for a long while. He sat rigidly in his chair, sipping the alcohol beverage he had ordered, observing the dancing bodies on the dance floor. They all swayed and bumped together to the rhythm of the music. The club was filled with loud music and loud people, cheering and singing, and talking all at once.

Finally he said, "What else can I say? I thought I was in love with her, maybe I still am; I don't' know…" Darien's voice trailed off again, as if thinking of what to say next, "We've agreed to pick up where we left off, but I can tell from her letters and phone calls things are going to be different. Her letters are shorter, no longer paragraphs of declarations of love, and her phone calls…well she sounds like a different person," Darien finished with a grim smile on his lips.

"Does that mean you guys are over?" Malcom asked, with a hint of slight concern and something else that Darien couldn't place in his voice.

Darien laughed at his question, "Over?" He laughed sadistically after he said the word. "Nah, I never said that. Things will be different, but I'm willing to make it work."

Mina Aino, also known as Minako, had been Darien's girlfriend for the longest time; and had been his friend for even longer. Maybe for a year or two he might have had fancied her, and yes, he had thought that he was in love. But, the distance between them had grown, and in the light of reality, the breach could only mean the end for them. It's funny too, how he refused to believe it. He was blind not to have seen how easily he had fallen into Mina's clutches.

Those years ago, back in junior high, she seemed so innocent and cheerful, so happy with what life had to offer her. She had spent her days with him in the park, picking flowers and laying in the grass just talking to him about…everything. But he figured time changed people. Was she still the Mina that he fell in love with?

No. But Darien was unwilling to let her go yet, he wanted to see if she still was the one for him, even if it seemed crazy to hold up the unstoppable event that was bound to occur. Love could be so bittersweet.

Darien had been thinking, his face devoid of emotion, until he came out of his stupor and realized too that Malcom had fallen silent. And together the two sat in companionable silence thinking, oblivious of their surroundings.

* * *

"Hello, welcome to the _Cup of Tea_!" Serena said amiably as she went to take orders at a table of four in a far corner of the pub. "Can I offer today's special? It is our famous _Mocha Coco Chocolate Lover's Shake. _It is a mocha-chocolate shake, with chocolate fudge swirls, crushed Oreo's, and topped with whip cream. Only for today can you buy one and get one free at five dollars…" She continued to take orders as she finished jabbering about different types of beverages and snacks. 

Serena walked back up to the counter the give her coworker the orders. Amy smiled at her as she went to fill them. This was Serena's second time she had worked with Amy here at the _Cup of Tea_. From what she observed of her, Amy Mizuno, was a quiet and nice girl. She rarely spoke, but when she did, it would be to comment on something, or to take orders and greet guests. Most of the time, she stood behind the counter reading a book.

Serena studied her, Amy had short shoulder length hair, with so many blue highlights her black hair almost appeared indigo. Surprisingly, it had the affect of bringing out the color of her cerulean eyes. The girl was tall, well, she was a few inches taller than Serena, but short compared to her friend Lita, and she was also very slim. Her movements were graceful, not clumsy like Serena's, and she had a regal atmosphere about her.

Amy was intriguing to Serena.

"Amy, do you go to a college or perhaps a university?" Serena asked her as she took out a tray and placed the snacks onto it.

"Why yes, I do. I attend Akita University actually. It's my second year," Amy said, as she continued to make the drinks.

Serena's head snapped up, and immediately she regretted doing so, because her head slammed into the top of the inside of the glass display of snacks. She rubbed her throbbing head.

"Oww…," Serena whined as she turned to stare at a baffled Amy.

"I should get you some ice," She mumbled as she went into the back room.

How come she never noticed Amy before? It was such a large university, of course she couldn't have spotted her, Serena said to herself. But she had concluded that Amy was just like her, another poor girl from low society, trying to make her way into the world by serving one customer at a time. She had been shock to find out that Amy, too, went to Akita. It wouldn't be a surprise though if she also was there for a scholarship like Molly, she did strike Serena as the type who was very smart. The world was a small place.

Serena came out of her ponderings as Amy emerged from the door way into the other room with a bag of ice in her hand.

"Here, place it over the back of your head," Amy said softly as she placed it over the aching area on her skull, "You hit it pretty hard Serena, I can see the bump the way your hair seems to be sticking out like that."

"I didn't know you went to Akita, Amy," Serena told her as she held the ice tightly to her aching head.

"Oh yes," Amy said as she went to take the orders to the customers, "I probably don't strike you as one to be conceited and pompous, now do I?" She said humbly, a hint of laughter in her soft voice.

"I go to Akita too; my parents paid a fortune to get me in. How about you Amy? Did you get in through a scholarship?" Serena asked her as she came back with an empty tray. Serena moaned in agony and pleasure at the contact of the cold ice against her head.

"Oh no. Nothing like that. My parents own a small business and its booming really. They too paid for me to get in," she admitted, a faint pink blush visible on her cheeks as she looked at Serena's stunned faces.

She was rich! Serena couldn't believe it. However, it made a lot of sense though. The way Amy carried herself with such regality was not common to people of low class. Serena's mouth that had been opened in shock now closed.

"Oh," she said, not knowing what else to say.

"Yeah… 'Oh'…," Amy said looking away ashamed.

"I'm sorry Amy! I wasn't insulting you or anything. I was just surprised, you know!" Serena babbled out, trying to console Amy. "I mean, here I am thinking that you were in the same financial problems as me, only to find out that you are actually an heiress to a fortune and company. May I ask what you're doing here anyways?"

"Its ok you know? I understand. You probably don't want a rich privileged girl to work with you. Everyone thinks I'm crazy you know? Lowering myself to do common work…"Amy let out a bitter laugh, trying to hide her hurt feelings.

"What are you talking about Amy? I don't care if you…if you are rich," Serena told her as she reached out to put her free hand on her shoulder. She gave Serena the same kind of look Mr. Chiba gave her when she too lied to him. Serena sighed with frustration; she was never going to tell a lie again.

"Oh alright! Maybe it did matter a little bit to me but I don't care now, okay?" She assured her. "But Amy, you aren't the snobbish type of rich people I hate, so it doesn't even matter. No tears, young lady!" Serena scolded her as she choked down sobs that turned into laughter at Serena's surly tone.

The topic of her status in society must really be sensitive to her, Serena thought as she stored the information in her head. She wasn't going to push further until Amy was ready to tell her more. And with that last thought she forced the biggest smile on her face and tried to calm Amy.

"Hey! How about you have lunch with me tomorrow? When's your last class in the afternoon?" Serena chirped cheerfully as she quickly changed the subjects.

* * *

Darien knew this would happen. Malcom seemed to be enjoying the attention, but he felt literally disgusted. A group of teenaged girls swarmed the two of them, all trying to vie for his attention. 

Apparently, the news that six rich and handsome heirs to large fortunes were in the club spread quickly, because they were now the topic of every woman's gossip session in the room.

Darien brushed away a dark haired girl's arm away that had curled itself around his. He could feel her breasts pressing against him. She gasped, in shock at his rejection. She turned to leave in anger when Darien's hand shot out to grab her wrist and pull her back to him.

He motioned with his index finger for her to bring her head down closer to him, as he sat in his chair. Darien watched as she smiled triumphantly at the rest of the females watching intently. And then her smile changed into a seductive grin as she licked her lips and lean forward, making sure he got a good view of her chest that was scarcely even covered by her tiny tube top.

And suddenly, Darien's hand pulled her harshly onto his lap, surprising her.

"If all you're looking for is a good fuck, I can take you right here, right now," Darien whispered seductively into her ear as she shivered with delight. His hand sliding up her thighs over her stomach to grab hold of her large breasts, rubbing over her nipple, feeling it harden at his touch. The girl moaned in pleasure, closing her eyes to savor his touch.

"But I don't have sex with girls like you so I suggest you leave without causing me any trouble," Darien whispered scathingly into her ear, and threw her off of him.

The girl blinked several times as if she couldn't believe what he had just done to her. She blushed a deep red, noticing the looks she was getting from all the watching females around the table. Immediately she got up, anger in her eyes as she turned to look at Darien, and then pushed her way through the crowd, back onto the dance floor.

Malcom watched with amusement at what his friend just did. He could see how annoyed Darien was when the vivacious dark haired girl kept pushing up against him. The girl must have thought Darien was going to apologize to her, when he pulled her back to him, but Malcom knew better. Nothing pissed Darien off more than bitchy girls who thought they could manipulate him into some kind of a relationship. Malcom had raised his eyebrow questioningly at what Darien had decided to do to the girl that was on his lap, but he soon realized that by sexually stimulating the girl, Darien was degrading her in front of the shocked spectators. Darien had whispered something into her ears, making everyone lean closer to hear, and then pushed the lady off of him. Humiliation; that was what Darien wanted the girl to feel.

Malcom chuckled softly; he was about to remark on Darien's crude sense of humor when there was a loud commotion from the dance floor. Heads turned in the direction of a fight brewing from the center of the club; voices rose from every which way around the room, and people from the billiard room came rushing out to see what was happening.

James had just swung a punch into a black haired skinny man's jaw. Cheering and jeering could be heard from the circle of bystanders observing the fight. Malcom and Darien rose from their seat and went pushing and shoving their way into the center of the brawl.

James had met Trista Hinowa, his date, out on the dance floor earlier on in the night. Everything was going great…until her ex-boyfriend turned up. Her ex, Jay Minimoto, started out by throwing at them petty insults. James did not care though; it took a lot to get him started. So Trista, his beautiful brunette haired date, and he continued to dance, ignoring the little barbs and sarcastic remarks coming from Jay.

But when push comes to shove (Jay actually started pushing and shoving), James was obligated to finish what he started. So he punched him. He punched him _hard_ in the jaw, and was quite satisfied when he heard the audible crack that came from the contact of his knuckles against Jay's face.

James grabbed Trista's hand, ready to leave to fetch the rest of the guys and get out of the club, and was about to turn away from the crowd when Trista let out a terrified shriek. On instinct James threw Trista behind him away from the trouble, but was very surprised to find his offender keeling over in pain as Darien held his hand in an agonizing twist pinning it to his back.

Darien smiled at James, "Rule number one, never turn your back on the enemy."

Suddenly, Darien let go of Jay and caught a punch that was aimed at the side of his face. Jay's friends had decided to also take part in the fight. Malcolm was already dealing with a couple of men, and Zachary, Andrew and Nathan finally made it through the crowd, also jumping in to give a hand. The fight was futile for Jay and his buddies. By the time they knew when to give up, all eight of them were lying on the floor as they were launched over tables.

The six handsome men looked at the glass littered floor and broken pieces of wood lain a strewn, and then looked up at each other, smiling at their victory. Trista grabbed James around his neck and kissed him, the crowd cheered as James continued to kiss her more passionately; oblivious of what had just happened moments before. The euphoria of the rush of excitement the fight gave Darien shattered as the owner of the club pushed his way through the crowd of people; an angry scowl on his face.

"What the fu," the stout man began to shout when Darien cut him off.

"Here's for the damages, we want no trouble," Darien reached into his pant pockets and took out his wallet. He opened it and retrieved all the paper money from within it and stepped forward to stick it in the chest pocket of the owner.

Darien turned around to leave, the rest of the 'gang' following close behind him as they left the club.

Outraged, the middle-aged man said, "Damn right you'll be paying for this mess. I'm calling the cops!"

But he was too late. Someone else already did.

"Mr. Chiba, can you tell us what happened here? I heard you guys were involved in a fight. What was the problem?"

Bright lights flashed as cameramen busily snapped shots of the group of men coming out of the building. The entire front door of the club was completely blocked with club-goers and reporters. Sirens could be heard just above the noisy crowd; the omniscient sound of the police drawing nearer seemed to increase impertinent questions fired by the nosy the media.

"No comment." The chill in Darien's eyes and the calm in his voice were not lost on the reporters. The finality of his statement was obvious. And nobody dared pushed him for answers.

* * *

As Serena locked the back door of the _Cup of Tea_, she could here the loud music emanating from _Cub 101_, from across the street. She groaned; the music as making her head hurt even more. She walked down the alley into the light of the street lamp upon the sidewalk. Amy had left an hour ago, at eleven; leaving her to stay and clean up and lock up the pub. 

Tomorrow she had promised to have lunch with Amy at 12:30 at the _Floating Sushi Bar_. Then Amy had another class to go to, and Serena had to get back to _Cup of Tea,_ because she was working the afternoon shift, but luckily she wasn't closing again.

Voices broke through Serena's train of thoughts. She looked up, across the street at _Club 101_. Six familiar looking men were talking very loudly about a fight that had just happened between them and another group of men.

The police cars pulling out of the parking lot were not lost to her either, and she lowered her eyes wondering just what the men had done.

'Oh shit!' Serena cursed to herself, jumping behind a dumpster to hide herself from the view of the group of men.

"Fuck!" Serena whispered in frustration as she stepped into something sticky that had fallen from the garbage bin. It was moldy looking too. She tried scraping her shoe against to dumpster only to have a scratchy sound radiate from the contact, carrying to the other side of the street.

Darien heard a weird sound come from across the street from behind a dumpster in the alley. He looked suspiciously over his shoulder to try and see through the faint light of the street lamp to see who it was, or what it was. It was too dark though, the sky was pitch black, not a single star was in the sky, and the moon was also covered by the thick cloud that lay lowly on the city.

"What is it Darien? Did you hear something?" Andrew asked quirking up an eyebrow curious to Darien's strange action.

"Yeah, I'm gonna go check it out," Darien whispered as he walked away from the group. Darien could hear the guys groan, and Andrew say something about him always being paranoid.

As Darien got closer to the dumpster, he could hear muffled breathing, as if someone was holding a hand over their mouth to stop them from being detected but was unsuccessful. His body became tense, ready for an attack. He slowly peered behind the garbage bin…

Serena could hear footsteps getting closer to her hiding spot. She held a hand to her mouth to stop her rapid breathing, due to the cold air of the night. Her heart pounded in her ears in anticipation for the discovery of her. She closed her eyes and waited…and waited…and waited…

Serena's eyes flew open. And what she saw made her regret doing so, it made her want to close her eyes again and wish she had not seen what she saw.

When Darien saw Serena there, her hand covering her mouth and her eyes closed looking absolutely terrified, he grinned. His lips quirked up into one of his boyish and lazy grins, as he watched and waited for her to open her eyes.

Her eyes flew open, and when she saw him, her eyes closed once again, but the hand covering her mouth dropped to her side now. Darien just continued to watch her in amusement. Her pretty face was white with shock and relief. Who was she expecting to find her?

"Darien, what is it?" Darien heard Malcom call from across the street.

Serena finally opened her eyes to stare at him at Malcom's question. Her cheeks were pink and flush. She was cute, Darien realized as he stared into her crystal sapphire blue eyes.

"Nothing!" Darien called over his shoulder to his friends. "Just a little white bunny." He said as he continued to look into Serena's eyes.

And then he turned away from the pale Serena and walked across the street to join his friends.

'Yep,' Serena thought to herself, 'the world was very, very small."


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: **All rights to Sailor Moon reserved to Naoko Takeuchi.

* * *

Chapter 4

Serena could hear the loud roar of the three cars as they drove away from the club. She stayed hidden for a few more minutes before stepping out onto the sidewalk, making her way to a bike rack to unlock her bicycle. Quietly, she pedaled her way home, groaning and cursing at herself for being so stupid.

The night air was freezing. Serena pulled her large jacket tighter to her as she rode her bike. The crisp air made her nose runny. She swayed slightly on her bike from the weight of her backpack; which reminded her of the essay and quiz she was suppose to turn in, in the morning. It was midnight; she wouldn't be able to get anything done now.

When finally reaching her apartment, she locked up her bike on the ground floor before lifting her heavy feet up the dreaded staircase leading up to the top floor. The apartment structure was old; its paint was pealing off the outside walls. Crevices ran up the building from top to bottom, left to right; running through graffiti.

Mr. Chiba's handsome face kept appearing in her mind as she continued up the long stairs. She thought of the way his eyes had sparkled in amusement as she had opened her eyes to stare at him behind the dumpster; his cocky grin flashing at her. How could it be that he and his little gang of evil friends were there, loitering in the parking lot of a club, when she happened to be closing up the shop and leaving at the very same time?

As she finally reached the door of their two bedroom apartment, she took out her key to unlock the door. Warm air rushed out of the door into the frosty night as she opened it and stepped inside the dimly lit living room.

'How odd,' she thought as she closed the door and locked it once again. It was late, and she was sure her parents would have already gone to bed.

Serena turned around to look at the room to find her mom opening up the oven in the left corner of the house, where the, supposed, kitchen was to be. Ikuko Tsukino, hummed lightly to herself as she placed a cooking mitten on to take out a tray of freshly baked cookies she had been making just hours ago. Serena could smell the delicious chocolate chip cookies from the door as her mother placed the tray on a towel, spread over on top of the counter. The pleasant warm aromas wafted over to her, making Serena forget what she had been thinking, and drawing her towards the cookies.

Ilene watched as she saw her daughter walk over to her, dipping her sun gold head down to take in a breath of the delectable cookies. Ilene shook her head in dismay at her daughter's terrible actions, and slapped Serena on the back of her head. Serena could be such a sucker for sweets.

"**_OW_**!" Serena howled in pain, clutching her throbbing head. "**_MOM_**…!" Serena shouted accusingly at her mother.

Ilene looked terrified at Serena's outburst. Running her hand through her beautiful waves of blue hair she said to Serena uncertainly, "I didn't hit you _that_ hard honey," trying to sooth her daughter's agony. "Now now, don't get upset with me young lady…" Ilene began as Serena opened her mouth to say something.

"Araghf…!" Serena fumed as she grabbed a cookie and turned and stormed away from the kitchen and down the hall to her bedroom clutching her aching head.

Ilene looked utterly confused as she watched her daughter retreating back disappear into her bedroom.

Serena slammed the door shut with her feet as she threw herself onto her bed. As the pain eased from the back of her head slightly, she felt another twinge of pain from her hand. She looked down to see the cookie she had been holding and the newly formed blisters that had appeared on her palm. The cookie had burned her hand.

"Shit!" Serena cursed as she jammed the cookie into her mouth and got back up to storm back into the hall into the bathroom to get a few bandages and ointments to treat her petty burns.

"Serena, are you all right?" she heard her mother call after her as she slammed the door to her bedroom once more.

She swallowed the cookie, not even savoring the rich texture of it the way she had planned to, as she flopped onto her light pink bed covers again. Serena settled herself comfortably onto the mattress before she spread the ointments onto her burning blisters. She quickly placed bandages over the blisters, hissing at the stinging that derived from the light pressure she placed on the burns as she pressed the band-aids firmly over them.

Today was definitely _not_ her day. She got up to throw away the wrappers from the band-aids into her trash bin beside her desk that sat a few feet away from the foot of her twin sized bed. She walked over to her sliding closet and dug into her laundry basket, taking out a pair of pink pajama's with little yellow crescent moons scattered all over them. She winced every now and then as she attempted to change out of her clothes.

Serena got into bed, yawning, and ready for sleep after she had changed and brushed her teeth. She had her lamp on her night stand on; it cast long slender shadows against the wall with its faint yellow light. And Serena fell asleep immediately, wishing that when she woke up, she would find that she had only been dreaming.

Serena woke up at three in the morning. Her mind was still groggy, and after a few minutes it cleared. She let out a loud yawn and turned to look at her alarm clock to see what time it was. The neon green numbers flashing 3:00 A.M. made Serena groan. She tried to drift back into sleep but found it futile. She kept thinking about the conversation she had had with Mr. Chiba yesterday afternoon. And the throbbing pain on her head was not helping.

So Serena got out of bed, took out her text books and started to write her essay; it was going to be a long morning.

* * *

Darien smiled as he heard Mina's soft giggling from the other end of the receiver. He had called her at one in the morning but she had not picked up her cell; this was his second attempt when she picked up on the final ring. It had been a month since he last talked to her over the phone. When they were still young, they would use to talk late at night until the sun rose in the early predawn hours. Now it seemed as though their jovial banter that had spanned for three to six hours, only lasted for mere minutes. 

Malcom's voice came into his head. 'Do you love her?' his friend asked. Yes, he did; Darien did love her. One thing that attracted him to Mina was the way she always seemed so innocent and carefree. She wasn't like the other girls of high society. She wasn't snobby or selfish; she wasn't using him like the rest of the women he had gone out with before. And that made him happy; to know that one did not need him financially but because they truly liked him. Plus, there was the added bonus that she was very sexy.

"Darien? Darien, are you listening to me?" Mina asked him, her tone was serious and it finally caught his attention.

"Uh…yeah Mina, what were you saying?" He asked her concernedly over the phone.

"Um…well, I was thinking Darien…" Mina began uncertainly. Darien's face hardened, bracing him for the words that she would say next. For the words that he knew she would say but refused to believe she was doing now; over the phone. His heart being clasped; this could not be happening. 'No,' Darien thought.

"You want us to be just friends when you come back, is that it?" Darien said coldly, before letting her finish. His jaw was clenched, as he bit out those words.

"Yeah! Oh Darien, I knew you would understand," Mina said cheerfully, her voice now sounded less stressed. She was probably able to breathe with relief now, Darien thought resentfully, while he was struggling to keep his voice cool, so she could not detect the trembling in his voice due to the ache he felt in his chest.

He now sat rigidly up in bed, his chest seemed to tighten. _Mina wanted to leave him_. Darien didn't want to believe it, but he had known all along. It was time to face reality.

"I didn't want to hurt you, but since you felt the same way, I'm so relieved!" Mina chirped happily, oblivious of the fact that the man on the other side of the phone had grown quiet. "I feel silly about worrying now! You are always such a good friend, I shouldn't have worried anyway, and you always understood me. Anyways, what we had; it was just puppy love, you know? It was our first brush with love, and we were still so young then," Mina babbled, jabbering happily through Darien's darkest moment.

All he could get through his head was: _Mina didn't love him_.

"Um…yeah, it was just puppy love, nothing serious or anything like that," Darien agreed with her, his tone cold and unfeeling.

Mina giggled again, "What do you mean it wasn't serious? I was serious in our relationship! You will always be my first love Darien, and for that, I will always love you," Mina continued to talk.

Mina sat in her penthouse apartment she had stayed in for the last three years, looking at all her stuff being boxed up by maids as she talked to Darien. She would be back in Japan by nightfall the next day, and she was planning to surprise all of her friends. She turned away from the boxes that were being piled by the foot of her large king sized bed to stare out of a magnificent glass window, draped with silky cream curtains. She had a perfect view of the Eiffel tower. Mina couldn't wait to be back home in Tokyo again.

She missed the stores there and the food. She missed the smell of the Japanese ocean. And she was so happy to finally be going back. Japan was home, and no matter how great Paris was, she would never like it as much. Besides, she didn't have all her great friends here with her. After high school, she had decided to go abroad to study in the medical field, but in the end, she found out that her heart just wasn't into it anymore. Mina had already planned to explain that to her parents immediately after her arrival; and then she would enroll in Akita and finish her last year there and get her degree.

"Don't worry Darien, the sex was good, I was just feeling that we probably need a little time apart you know," She said to him jokingly.

"Anyways, how are the rest of the guys?" Mina asked, hoping Darien would slip some information in about Malcom.

Malcom had always attracted her, even when she was dating Darien, but now that they were over, she could pursue him. She knew what she was doing was wrong, dumping Darien for his best friend, but somehow she couldn't find the will to fight the attraction anymore. As the years progressed over the last time she had seen Darien, the fire that had burned in her for him slowly died into something more subtle; like the kind of love one would have for their brother. Darien also felt the same, he had agreed to separate (or so Mina thought). It was very strange though, how she could stop desiring for Darien but the flame that had been for Malcom seemed to have grown much larger and burned much fiercer inside of her.

"The guys are great, they can't wait to see you again either," Darien answered her.

Mina frowned, disappointed that Darien had nothing more to say.

"So…tell me more. Who's with who, and what's been happening since I left?" She asked hopefully.

"Well, you know James…do you really want me to gossip with you?" She could hear Darien's irritated voice ask.

Mina shook her head, Darien will always be Darien. "Fine, I forgot how you hate it when girls gossip Darien," She said to him. "Women have such big mouths, they should learn to close it once in a while…yada, yada, yada, yada," Mina tried to mimic Darien's voice.

Darien forced himself to sound amused, "Oh come on, you know it's true Mina."

Mina laughed, "Hhmmm…perhaps...," She said seductively into the phone.

"Look, Mina, I got to go. It's late over here so I'll talk to you later," Darien said to her with finality.

And before Mina could say good-bye, Darien hung up on her.

Strange, she thought, very strange.

Darien looked down at his cell phone; the display picture was of Mina's smiling face right after the high school graduation. That night they had celebrated their three year anniversary in each other's arms for the night. It was funny how three years later, when he was so sure they would be doing so much better, they break up. He smiled a bitter smile as he stared down at her beautiful face.

Love, Darien decided, was a very foolish emotion.

Darien went to sleep that night with only one person on his mind, one person that haunted his dreams: Mina.

_"I didn't want to hurt your feelings…" Mina said happily._

_"I knew you would have understood!" She had exclaimed._

_They were finally over…_and Darien needed no longer to fret.

* * *

"I'm sorry I'm late Amy," Serena panted as she fell into the seat beside her blue haired friend in side of the _Floating Sushi Bar_. 

"Oh, it's okay really. I didn't wait very long," Amy said as she grabbed a tray of sushi as it floated by on the counter.

Serena finally finished her essay and by the time she had finished studying for her quiz, it was almost six in the morning. Luckily for her, her first class was at ten, so she slept for a few more hours before waking up. Her head had felt like it had split in two as she got dressed, and her hands still hurt, but she managed anyways.

As she grabbed her backpack on her way out, it occurred to her that her hands pained her too much to grip the handle of her bike, and so she walked all the way to the university. It was humiliating as all the cars of the rich and spoiled passed her as she sweated under the hot sun, walking up the hill to Akita. And if it wasn't bad enough as it already was, she was late to her class, and Professor Shimbo refused to let her into the room; telling her she better wait outside until class was over before he would speak to her about her inexcusable behavior.

The class had laughed loudly as she exited the room; a couple of girls smirked at her. Serena was furious at what Professor Shimbo had just said. She, Serena, was late by five minutes to class, gets into trouble, but when those six immoral and unjust men roam around the campus as if they owned the place, they get worshiped by one and all! Serena had waited out in the hall for an hour, fuming, until the class was dismissed.

"Ms. Tsukino, this is unacceptable!" Professor Shimbo scolded her, his face was red with outrage, "I will not tolerate it; is that clear?" He waited for her to nod her consent before continuing to speak.

"I better not hear you are tardy in anyone else's class either…." And so Serena stood in front of Professor Shimbo's desk while he lectured her on responsibility and respect fifteen minutes. She was glad when he stopped talking to hand her today's notes.

"Thank you, Professor," Serena beamed.

"No problem Ms. Tsukino, now I want that project to be done by…Lets see...Today's Friday, yes, I want it to be done and turned in to me on Monday morning, is that clear?" Mr. Shimbo said as he wrote down the date in his agenda.

_Monday: Ms. Tsukino turns in project on the human brain._

Serena's eyes widen as she read what he wrote, "You want me to do a project on the human brain as punishment for being late to class?"

"Yes, of course! Did you think I would let you slide without punishment?" Professor Shimbo said as he continued to write things down in his agenda.

Serena was furious. She was getting punished for being late? That was ridiculous!

"And pray tell, is this project going to be of partial or great importance to my grade in this class?" Serena nearly shouted at the stunned Professor as she slammed the notes on his desk.

"It will be of great importance Ms. Tsukino, _very_ great importance," he said as he looked at her angry expression, unperturbed. "You may leave now if I've made myself clear enough for you."

Serena remembered she had grabbed the notes off his desk as she turned and marched out of his room. For those few minutes of anger, Serena was actually glad at the humiliation he suffered for spilling soda all over Mr. Chiba. She smirked, as she went hurriedly, rushing to building B, the next building beside building A.

Anyways, after classes Serena ran the entire wall to the _Floating Sushi Bair_.

"Serena, your hand! What did you do?" Amy asked as she looked over with great concern at Serena. She grabbed Serena's right wrist and examined her blisters, pealing away the band-aids.

Serena looked on, shocked, at Amy's actions. Amy lightly blew on the burn.

"It's nothing really," Serena assured her as she tried to pull her wrist away from Amy's death grip. "I was being stupid and burned my hand grabbing a cookie," Serena explained blushing.

"A cookie burned your hand?" Amy questioned as she looked up at Serena, still clutching her wrist.

"Yeah, um, well…" Serena stuttered, trying to explain how ignorant she was, "well you see…um…My mom had just baked cookies…and…I grabbed one and it kinda burned my hand," Amy gave Serena a blank look. "Yes, yes…I know I was stupid for not thinking." Serena said in a defeated voice.

Amy smiled, and as if she couldn't contain her laughter any longer, she burst into bursts of laughter; like the sounds of small bells jingling. Serena frowned at her new friend. It wasn't funny; it had really hurt her hand last night…or rather this morning (since it was after midnight). Amy finally was able to control her laughter after a few minutes. And when she did, she begged Serena for the whole story.

And so their lunch continued as Serena told her the events of the night before leading up to the project she was assigned to do in psychology.

"Do I make myself clear? Do I make myself clear Ms. Tsukino? Ms. Tsukino, did I make myself clear?" Serena imitated Professor Shimbo's voice, as Amy covered her mouth with her hand to keep her food inside while laughing at the spectacle Serena made. Overall, Amy had never laughed so hard in her life. She was going to enjoy Serena's presence.

Amy watched Serena as she continued to make lewd remarks and jokes about everything and anything. Serena had a very nice smile, beautiful eyes, and a beautiful personality that made such a nice trio that it made Amy envious. Confidence; Serena had a lot of confidence in what she does and she also had a lot of pride too. Amy would give anything to be like her. She would love to have her golden colored hair that fell into endless waves of silk as she let it out of a bun, she would love to have her pretty face and most of all, she would love to have Serena's courage and confidence.

She admired Serena very much. And by the time they had finished their lunch, they had became very close friends. And what a great friend she had acquired too, Amy thought as Serena insisted on paying for the meal, despite the fact that it was Amy who was rich and she who was poor.

Serena looked at the clock hung up in the center of the back wall in the _Cup of Tea_, it was half past five. Her shift would be over in another half hour. She had clocked in at two that afternoon, after having lunch with Amy; and had been working for nearly 4 hours. It was another slow day for the pub; not even during the rush were there many customers.

Today, Josh and his sister Toru Honda were helping her to take and fill in the orders. They were very nice, and Serena liked them very much. The other workers were behind the counter most of the time, taking orders at the cash registers. There were three cash registers; _Cup of Tea_ usually gets a lot of business, it's really famous for their tea and rice cakes. Serena looked around the large pub from her position behind the counter, her arms resting on the countertop, as her chin rested in the palm of my hand (she was extremely bored).

The pub had brown-ish colored walls, and was adorned with pictures of bamboo trees and pandas drinking tea, painted onto them. The chairs on which the customers sat upon were made to look like authentic oriental bamboo-made chairs. The style of the pub was to give the feeling of contentment and culture, through the oriental paintings of samurai's and ladies dressed in the cultural Japanese kimono, and with pretty artifacts and trinkets such as a lady of the court of Kyoto's (back in the time of the shogunate) fan. _Cup of Tea _was given very good ratings on its cleanliness and creativity. It was also a very well known pub for tourists to come to as well.

Serena came out of her thoughts as she heard the jingling of bells as the door of the pub opened. She straightened and stood behind her cash register, while she kept her gaze down as she attempted to arrange her uniform to look tidier. Cursing, Serena went down on the floor to pick up her earring that must have fallen out of her ear some time ago. She stayed on her knees as she tried, miserably, to quickly put it back on.

"Sir, I can take your order over here, sir," Serena heard Toru say to the customer.

"Sir?" Toru said again, to the handsome dark haired man standing in front of Serena's cash register. Toru watched with curiosity as he smiled amusedly as Serena got up from the ground, not even taking notice of him standing right in front of her.

Finally, after successfully placing her earrings back on, Serena stood up. She looked down at the ice box, seeing that it was almost completely empty, she took it out and made an effort to go into the back room to get more ice to fill it in, but Toru grabbed her hand and turned her around to look at the a dark haired man standing in front of her register.

Serena dropped the ice box, sending whatever pieces of ice left inside of it scattering all over the tiled floor, as she stared at Mr. Chiba. He was grinning at her again. She hated his grin. It made him look cute and devilishly handsome. And all she wanted to do was reach out and slap him across the face for grinning like that at her.

From behind Toru nudged her forward. Serena's head whipped around to glare at her. Then she turned her gaze onto Mr. Chiba.

"Hello, welcome to the _Cup of Tea_!" Serena said with forced enthusiasm as she stared at him. "Can I offer today's special? If you buy a large cup of our famous _Jasmine Tea_, you will also get a small side order of our rice cake," Serena paused to take in a breath before talking again.

"No, that's okay," Darien said, before she could even utter her next words. "I'll get a _Mocha Coco Chocolate Lover's Shake_, thank you," he ordered and continued to grin at her as she punched in the code of the shake into the machine and waited for the receipt to print.

"So, you like hanging out behind dumpsters late at night spying on people, eh?" Darien said sarcastically, trying to sound as casual as though he just made a remark about the weather.

Serena's eyes lowered into slits as she glared at him, mentally cutting him open and letting him bleed to death. Darien blanched, at her gaze.

"For your information, I was not _spying_, I was _hiding_," Serena informed him hotly, sticking her chin into the air, as she pulled the receipt from the cash register and handed it to him. "That'd be four dollars and thirty-four cents, sir," She said through clenched teeth as she stuck out her hand to receive the money.

"Keep the change," Darien told her as he handed her a ten dollar bill, he was still grinning like an idiot.

Serena opened the cash register and placed his money inside.

"Why are you smiling like that? You look stupid, so you should stop," Serena told him coldly, feeling victory as Darien scowled. Then his face became expressionless. And for some reason, Serena felt terribly disturbed when Mr. Chiba hid his feelings like that. She could handle him being angry or if he was amused, but when his face hardened, and his eyes turned cold and cynical the way it was now, she felt as though she was something filthy. It wasn't as though she cared what he though about her, did she?

"And who pray tell, Ms. Tsukino, were you hiding from; the boogie man?" Darien asked her with mild curiosity, his face still hard as it concentrated on her.

"No, unfortunately not…" Serena said, shaking her head at Darien, who looked extremely interested in what she had to say now. "I'm afraid I was hiding from things much scarier than that Mr. Chiba. They were six, evil, vile, arrogant, vicious, spoiled, and very, very self-centered men. The worst creatures you could ever come across," Serena told him with a curt nod of her head.

At her comment, Darien's face broke into a broad grin again; it wasn't his usual cocky, arrogant, boyish, or playful grins. Instead it was a genuine smile that Serena could tell was very rare for him to show. And Serena felt happy that she had accomplished what only few people had done before.

"Here you go Mr. Chiba," Serena said to him, as she too, smiled warmly at him; handing him his shake.

Darien grabbed it and slowly turned to leave, but turned around again to face her. "I'm pretty sure they aren't that bad," he said to her, his eyes sparkling, challenging her to defy him.

Serena laughed at the lopsided grin he gave her. "Well…I'm pretty sure too that they are just as bad as I've described them…But I wouldn't know…" Serena said teasingly as she turned her back on him to go into the back room, as she let her hair out from her bun, and let it fall freely down her back. Serena, took off her green apron and hung it on a hook in the back room before she grabbed her backpack and left the shop through the back door into the alley way; smiling cunningly to herself.

She watched her step as she jumped over puddles of liquid that did not seem like water or mud. And as she stepped out into the fading light of the sun, two hands grabbed her around the shoulder. Serena jumped in alarm, struggling against her captors' hands, trying to still her movements.

"AAhh…!" Darien's hand let go of her shoulder as he cupped her mouth to stop her shrieking and attracting unwanted attention. He winked at her playfully as she stopped her struggling and screams to stare at him dumbfounded.

When he let go of her he climbed onto a shiny red motorcycle parked alongside the sidewalk. "There's only one way to find out." He said as he handed her a helmet, securing his over his head.

"Huh…? Wait, what?" Serena asked, still gawking at him.

"Come on," Darien said cocking his head back to invite her on.

"I don't think so…" Serena said uncertainly. 'Why the hell did he want her to get on his bike?'

"You said you weren't so sure either if you were wrong about my friends and me, so I've decided to show you. It's the only way to find out," Darien's eyes twinkled mischievously. He watched as her mouth opened in shock.

Slowly, Darien reached out his hand for her to grab.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: **All rights to Sailor Moon reserved to Naoko Takeuchi.

* * *

Chapter 5

Serena's grip on Darien's navy blue polo shirt tightened as he picked up speed. Darien chuckled softly as he looked over his shoulder to stare at a pale Serena. They dodged cars as he entered the free way, heading north, out of downtown Tokyo.

"It'd help if you put your arms around my waist. It won't hurt, you know?" Darien told her as he continued to watch the road as he went faster; their speed passed the limit of eighty, on its way to a hundred.

Serena slipped her shaky arms around Darien's waist and held him firmly as she felt herself being pulled backwards off his bike.

'Serena, what have you gotten yourself into?' She yelled at herself mentally as Darien exited the freeway and slowed down as they came upon a red light.

She had been clutching the helmet Darien had given her as he stuck out his hand to help her on. Serena had shaken her head at him, her eyes still wide with shock. Her mouth was slightly ajar; ready to turn him down but the words were stuck in her throat as she gazed into his hopeful eyes. The spectacle they made drew the attention of many people. She could feel their audience's penetrating gaze as they analyzed the scene they viewed before them.

"I…I…I don't think," Serena began to tell him but Darien spoke, cutting her off.

"Then don't think Serena, just _do_. Maybe for once, just follow your instincts," he tried to persuade her.

And Serena had taken the bait. She had reached out to grab Darien's hand. He tried to pull her on but she didn't budge. Serena shook her head at him again; making Darien sigh with exasperation.

"I want to know where you're taking me first," Serena told him sternly.

Darien just smiled at her defiance, "My secret," he said to her as he gave her hand one last tug so she ended up straddling the bike instead of being sprawled over the backseat. And with that, he took off. He jetted from the pavement, zoomed past blurs of green trees and a rainbow of people walking along the sidewalk. And all the while Serena was still trying to comprehend what he had just done; what she had just willingly let him do.

And so as she felt the motorcycle pelt forward, Serena came back to the present. Her arms encircled his waist in a death grip. Was she scared of riding on motorcycles? No. But she was scared of the rush it gave her. It was exhilarating. She could feel the wind running through her hair that flew out freely behind her. The speed excited her, and she really was enjoying the ride. The fact that they could be pulled over by cops seemed to make their journey all the more fun to her. But, she refused to let Darien see that she actually took pleasure in the ride.

Darien could tell how much Serena liked riding on his bike. He could feel her shivers of excitement as she clenched onto him. And she was trying so damned hard to suppress her shrieks of delight too, Darien thought as he lightly chuckled to himself.

Angry drivers honked at them as they would cut them off or merge into a different lane. And then Serena finally laughed, her laughter came gushing out like water spilling over a dam that she had tried so hard to hold within. It was musical. Her voice was soft and vibrated with life and joy, it was such happy laughter.

Darien envied at how she could laugh with such light heartedness while he was still breaking inside. He never thought that Mina could make him feel so hurt; he didn't even think that their separation would have affected him like how it did now. But it really did pain him. Being with Ms. Tsukino seemed to have lightened up his mood though.

Earlier on in the day, he was not very good company. Hanging with the guys irritated him to death. And when he had told them that he and Mina were no longer together they just looked at one another shocked, and then they began making bawdy comments and suggestions about who he should screw next. Darien became annoyed with them as they sat in the large living room of his home. He needed to break away from them; to get some fresh air.

And so he came looking for her. The girl that was different, the one that he knew could lighten up his mood. Finding her at the _Cup of Tea_? Well…that was just coincidence. Seeing her did make him feel better though, she was guaranteed to make him laugh.

Was he using her? No, he wasn't. Ms. Tsukino really is great company, and he did like her witty remarks. But the silence that hung over them was making him think of Mina again. Could he bear to be friends with her now that they have broken apart?

Serena's musical laughter subsided, and Darien came out of his thoughts as he looked over his shoulder to stare into her glowing wide eyes. She smiled at him warmly; a smile that warmed his icy exterior that he had built to protect him from anymore feelings that would cause him pain.

Serena came out of the spell that fogged her mind from the thrilling ride, as Darien slowed down and the bike came to a stop.

They were in front of a large, elaborate beach house. She could smell the ocean air; its salty, musky, and moist smell filling her senses. Serena closed her eyes and took in a deep breath and sighed with satisfaction.

Darien watched her as she swung her leg over the bike and began running down towards the sandy beach. He observed her with a grin as she clumsily moved over the sand; her legs wobbly as the sands shifted beneath her foot. She was so childish when she was enjoying herself. She no longer had the fake bitchy attitude that she wore whenever in his presence, and he liked this side of her; the side that was so wild and carefree.

Serena turned around and waved at him to hurry up. She shrieked his name, and turned around again to stare at the rolling waves of the ocean as they came in and pulled back out into the large body of water. It was beautiful here; no one was around to… 'Wait! No one else _is_ here!' Serena finally realized as she looked around the shore to see if she could see anyone else.

'Is this an abandoned beach? No, it couldn't be…The beach house would mean that someone lived there…' and then it came to her. _They were on private property_.

"Don't worry, my family own this part of the beach," Darien informed her as he saw worry in her eyes as she looked up at the beach house.

Serena jumped at his statement. "How do you do that?" She asked him as she turned to look at him. He stood like a rigid six foot pole as he looked at the ocean.

"Do what?" he asked; as he gave her a blank look, bending his head down to stare at her. A small smile tugged at his lips as she continued to stare at him in awe.

"Sneak up on me; you just…I don't know…One minute you're standing by your motorcycle and the next thing I know, you're standing right beside me," Serena told him in wonder, her bewildered gaze making him laugh. And Serena smiled too, happy again that she could make him laugh like that. His laughter was original, it held no pretense.

"Again, that is my secret," he told her as he looked out into the setting sun beyond the ocean; it's light making the water sparkle like a pool of diamonds; shimmering in the fading sunlight. The sky broke into colors of blue, pink, red, and orange. And seagulls' squawked as they flew above the waters, diving every once in a while to fetch a fish. It was very peaceful.

Serena laughed at Darien's answer as she turned away to walk along the sandy beach. Taking off her sneakers, she placed them on top of a rock. Darien raised an eyebrow as she did so. And he watched amusedly as she stood closer to the ocean, letting the incoming waves wet her toes.

She shrieked at the sensation, and pleaded for Darien to do the same. He shot her a 'you're-joking-right?' gaze, but he also complied. He stepped out of his shoes and took off his socks and placed them beside Serena's. Together they slowly walked along the wetted down sand, every once in a while water would run across their feet and disappear again into the ocean.

"Would you mind if I called you Serena?" Darien asked.

Serena laughed and looked up at him, "Would you mind if I called you Darien?" She said teasingly.

"That depends…" he said, his voice serious.

Serena stopped walking. "Depends on what Mr. Chiba?" She asked, curious at his sudden change of mood.

"It depends if you allow me to call you Serena," he told her, laughing at her distraught expression.

Serena kicked up water at him as she ran as fast as she could away. Darien stood for a moment shocked that she had just wetted his khakis pants. And then he smiled mischievously; bending down to fold up his pants and continued to chase after the bubbly blonde. Serena too, took the time to fold up her pants as she waited for him to get closer.

When Serena looked up, she nearly fell backwards. Darien was standing before her with his hands cupped underneath the water, waiting for her to look up. And when she did Darien splashed salt water into her face, grinning evilly. Serena closed her eyes, as the water hit her face; she opened her mouth to scream at him, but instead received a mouth full of salty ocean water. Immediately Serena spit it out, stumbling backwards to land on her butt underneath the water.

Darien looked stunned as he watched a sputtering Serena on the ground. He had not planned for her to fall over, but it was a very funny sight, he admitted as he smirked. His eyes shined with laughter as he continued to watch her struggle to get up.

Serena glared at Darien. The backside of her pants were soaking wet and she did not have a change of clothes. And he; he just stood there, trying very hard not to laugh at her! Serena seethed with anger. She turned her back on him and started walking away, planning for her diabolical revenge.

"Hey! Hey, I didn't mean for you to fall over," Darien said as he watched her retreating back. "Hey!" He called after her as he ran to catch up to her. (Serena smiled wickedly to herself as Darien fell into her little trap.)

Darien reached out to put a hand on Serena's shoulder when she pivoted around and rammed into him. The force of her sent him backwards; but not to be outdone; Darien grabbed Serena on his way down. Her eyes widen with alarm.

The icy ocean water surrounded their bodies (it was now high tide); tensing at the immediate contrast of cold water upon their warm skin. Serena screamed loudly; Darien's arms, still around her small waist. When he finally let go, after enjoying her curses of displeasure, he was satisfied.

Serena got up, wiping water away from her face as she frowned at the smiling idiot still sitting in the water; looking up at her with a smug smile.

"Did it not occur to you that I do not have a change of clothes Darien?" Serena shouted at him, as she attempted to wring out the water from her hair.

"I guess that means I get to call you Serena," Darien stated rather than asked as he, too, got up and raked a hand through his drenched charcoal hair.

"What are you talking about?" Serena said furiously as she stared at him.

Darien laughed at how her mind seemed to forget things so easily. "Serena, Serena, Serena…" he said in a sing song tone.

"What?" She spat, hating him for being so cheerful.

"Oh, nothing…I was just saying your name," he said innocently as her face started to turn read with fury.

"Why you…you…you…despicable man!" Serena shouted, ready to wrap her hands around his neck and squeeze.

"Now, now Serena, flattery can wait until I give you my proposition," he told her in a stern voice, but his eyes gleamed with hilarity; making him look like a playful boy.

"What now…?" Serena groaned with irritation; giving him her most vexing stare.

"Since I have had the utmost pleasure in meeting you upon the rooftop of Akita University, Ms. Tsukino, I must say that you have been quite a…"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, get to the point please," Serena said sarcastically.

Darien smiled at her impatience. "I propose a truce Serena," he said sincerely, looking into her eyes that gleamed like the ocean; blue diamonds shining.

His tone of voice broke through her anger, leaving her with curiosity, "A truce? What kind of truce?" She asked him suspiciously as she looked over the expression on his face; but found no evidence of deceit on his face. He was being honest.

"I would like for you to set aside your…hhhmm…what is the word for it…?" Darien pondered for a minute, trying to place a different word for 'hatred' into his sentence. "I would like for you to set aside your _immense dislike_ of me and my friends so we can be on common ground with one another," Darien told her, extending a hand in genuine cordiality.

Serena was taken aback by his proposal. At a loss of words she stared at him flabbergasted. Serena pondered for a moment, before nodding dumbly. And she looked up into his eyes as before she extended her hand to close around his, "You've got yourself a truce, Mr. Chiba," Serena said teasingly, but with deep gravity and sincerity.

"On one condition," Serena said gravely; Darien's smile left his lips, "You have to promise me you guys won't intimidate anyone else at the university unless they've done a great and terrible deed to you, and only then will you guys intimidate them."

Darien's face hardened. "I don't make promises on anyone's behalf, Serena," Darien informed her frigidly. "Especially, one that will not be kept."

Serena nodded, understanding his meaning. "Just promise me you'll try to confront them about it?" Serena asked hopefully. A soft ocean breeze blew, her hair clinging to her back, face, and arms. The soft sunlight, dancing across his taught face made him look like a god of one of the Greek statues.

He gave her an abrupt nod. "Friends then?" he asked.

She smiled, happy that he was willing to give in to her demand. "Yes, Friends."

The laughter of a female and male could be heard from the road as automobiles drove by every now and then as night continued to come.

Serena sat, huddled up by the fire as Darien came down to sit next to her. It was now dark outside. They purple sky glittered with stars, winking above the ocean. The beautiful crescent moon shone bright yellow as it was reflected in the roaring waves of the large body of water down below. Darien had let them both into the beach house to shower and change. The inside was beautiful, decorated with tiny crystal trinkets that were put on display in glass cases, its pristine white walls glowed unnaturally, and the elegant home was styled in the latest and most fashionable curtains and silk coverings over couches and chairs; the house was a work of art. A beautiful white grand piano sat in the center of the receiving room, where they now sat in front of the huge fireplace. She smiled slightly as she gazed into the fire; its red, orange, yellow, and blue flames flickering. The light the fire provided was dancing merrily across Darien's face as he too, stared at the flames; his expression aloof.

"Love is like a fire," Darien whispered as he stared emotionless into the wavering heat.

Serena stared blankly at him; blinking a couple times while trying to contemplate what he said. _Love is like a fire_. That was a very strange analogy.

"I guess so…" she said uncertainly as she stared at his face profile, waiting for him to explain.

A bitter smile curved his lips. "They both provide you with warmth during the time they are at its fullest. And then they can cast you into darkness when it dies; leaving you cold. But don't get so close to love or a fire, because if you do, you'll get burned," he let out a resentful laugh as he turned away from the fire to look at her.

Serena sat glued to her spot. He spoke such cruel words of love as though he was once singed by the flames of love himself. Although what he said was true, love can be a very beautiful thing too.

Darien watched as Serena shook her head at him; contradicting him as she pulled her knees up to her chest to wrap her arms around them as she laid her head over her knees to stare into the fire. She was very pretty when her hair was out of her face like it was now; falling freely behind her as she sat contently, warmed by the firelight.

Serena turned to look at him, "Love can mean so much more than pain and darkness after it has died Darien," she said wisely. "It can mean growing up or more knowledge. And it allows you to look for a new love, one that wouldn't fall apart as easily as the first," She said humbly as she smiled into the darkness of the room.

Darien's eyes turned cynical, his face tough and expressionless. And then he got up and left the room.

Serena had changed into Darien's clothes that he had loaned her. She wore one of his plain white T-shirts, its material soft against her skin, and she had on a pair of blue jeans, that had belonged to his sister he said. Serena was surprised at that news. His sister, Rei, was also the same age as her; however, she was studying abroad in the States. He had spoken a lot about his sister. He must truly love her, Serena concluded from the loving way his voice would seem to soften as he told her tales of little Rei.

Darien had stared at Serena in surprised when he saw how well the jeans fit her; hugging her shapely legs in all the right spots. He was very shock to find that she actually had very nice curvaceous legs. 'Who'd have thought that beneath all of those loose fitting clothes she'd actually have feminine features?' he had said to himself as he studied her forlorn expression at how well the jeans fit. She had even asked if she could borrow his jeans instead, and that made Darien laugh.

But as he left to grab two coats for Serena and him, he was angered by Serena's words. Words that she spoke of with such conviction, and yet he was sure she had never even been in love herself. Walking down the long hall, he opened up the hall closet that was built into the left wall; luckily he was able to find one of Rei's old jacket's for Serena.

Serena watched as Darien came back into the room; she had a feeling that her words had somehow irritated him. He held two jackets in his hand, giving one to her as he put his on. She watched curiously as he did so.

Holding up the jacket she asked, "What's this for?" She gave him a questioning look.

"We're going out, so put that on," he told her curtly; not even sparing her a glance.

"Where are we going?" She asked him as she did as he demanded; zipping up the jacket as she slipped her arms into the sleeves.

"There's only one way to find out," he said as he extended a hand to pull her up.

And stupidly, Serena took his hand, and followed him obediently outside, hugging the faded red jacket closer around her body as they walked over to his motorcycle.

Crickets chirped their dreary music, but only that and the sound of the crashing of ocean waves against the beach penetrated the cool night. Serena quietly straddled the bike after Darien got on. He put his key into the keyhole to start the bike ; waiting for her to put her arms around him before rocketing off onto the dark road, lighted by faint yellow lights of the street lamps. And again Serena was thrown into a mixture of anticipation and thrill as everything whizzed by in a blur of dark shadows and yellow lights, nearly missing cars as they dodged their way through the large vehicles back to downtown Tokyo.

Malcom looked at the mounting pile of candy on the center of the table as he held onto his hand of cards; smirking at his fellow friends. Their game of poker started a little over an hour ago as they waited for Darien to show up before they would go cruising in his jet. They were let in into the mansion by the butler; Darien's parents were away on business abroad as usual. It was a shame they wouldn't be home for Darien's birthday tomorrow. It had been tradition amongst the group of six men to have a pre-celebration before the actual day of each of their birthdays.

James and Andrew went into the kitchen to get some beer while they had their little card game.

"Alright Malcom, the stakes are high, so if you wanna stay in the game you better put in thirty pieces of your starbursts, or fold," Nathan said as he placed his own candy into the pile in the middle.

Malcom looked up to grab the beer Andrew was handing him as James also came back into the room to pass out the beer to Zachary and Nathan. As they all settled down Malcom considered his strategy.

"I take your wager," Malcom said as he extended his hand to place his share of candy into the jackpot and placed ten more, "and I raise you ten." Everyone groaned; they all were already out of candy.

Zachary laughed holding up his last ten pieces of snickers, "I could take your wager, but…I fold," he said as he through his cards down; showing three jacks, a two, and a ten.

Malcom laughed hysterically as he too threw down his cards, "I have nothing!" he exclaimed as the other four men stared at his cards; a two, a four, a five, a seven, and an ace. He reached out with both hands to encircle his winnings, grinning devilishly.

"I see that you all have just lost my stash of candy to Malcom," all five of the men's head sharply swerved around to stare at their dark haired friend, standing in the doorway.

"I see you've finally decided to join us for _your_ celebration," Andrew said sarcastically as he turned to hand him a beer, and then froze.

All five men stared at the petite blonde little girl behind Darien.

"Well pull up a chair little girl," James said elatedly to a stunned Serena and then turned to Darien, "Who is she Darien? She's kinda cute; a relative maybe?" He inquired with a raised eyebrow. He watched as the blonde girl in the red jacket glared at him before sitting down on a chair on his left and taking the beer Andrew had intended to give Darien; quickly taking a swig from it.

At everyone's shocked expression Darien laughed and winked at Serena; his icy mood fading away as he became his charming self again. Darien went to take the empty seat beside Serena around the circular table; picking out a couple of skittles from the center before popping them into his mouth. Everyone just stared at him, waiting for him to start the introductions.

"Guys, this is Serena Usagi Tsukino, she goes to Akita," Darien said casually as all of his friends' mouths nearly fell open.

James was the first to recover, blushing at his mistake, "Sorry Ms. Tsukino, you just look very young," he apologized pathetically as he stared at the sorry excuse of a women sitting beside him. "My name is James Hikawa."

"Hi," Serena said, as she smiled at him.

"You're a pretty girl, what were you doing with Darien anyways, Serena?" Serena turned from James to look across the table at Andrew.

"It's nice to see you again Andrew," She said as she lowered her gaze at Andrew, who gulped at her penetrating gaze.

When Serena had met Andrew at the bakery, he had said he was the son of a poor farmer. He fabricated a story about how he was an orphan at the age of seven and went to live with his grandfather on a farm, and was now trying to get a decent paying job in the city. He had smiled prettily at her, flirted with her; and stupidly, she fell for it. She believed every damn thing he said.

Serena enjoyed herself immensely as each of the men introduced themselves. As she watched them play another round of poker she realized that Malcom, the one with striking white hair, was Darien's closest friend. As the game progressed, she had spotted Andrew looking at her twice, but she turned her gaze away coldly each time. Darien proved to be a skilled card's player, as he won in the end. She was taken aback that these men were actually very good-natured men. They were polite to her and joked with her; they actually seemed like good people.

'Maybe it's because they don't know I'm from lower class?' Serena thought. 'Andrew knew that she wasn't rich though.'

"I don't get it," Serena said aloud, gaining all six pair's of male eyes.

"It's pretty easy actually," She looked up confused, as Malcom spoke to her; shuffling the cards skillfully, "you see…to play poker you have to be skilled in"

"No, I wasn't talking about that," Serena said and blushed as the men all stared at her again.

"What don't you understand Serena?" Serena turned to look at Darien as he spoke; a knowing look in his eyes. Serena wanted to slap him; once again he was trying very hard not to burst out laughing at her.

She wasn't going to let him see her back down though. "I was so sure you guys were mean, snobbish, and arrogant, but now, you guys seem different from what you give the impression at the university," Serena admitted to the guys casually. She looked around the table to look at their shocked faces (Darien, of course, was on the verge of hysterical laughter).

Finally after a moment of Darien's harsh coughing (which he did to hide his amusement), James spoke uncertainly, "I don't know whether I should be insulted or gratified," his expression still as blank as ever as he scratched his head. A couple of the guys nodded in agreement.

Malcom was the first to come out of the stupor and the first to give her a real answer, "Look, we act like assholes, or if you like it better the way you put it, mean, snobbish, and arrogant men because that is how we are treated," Serena blinked at his explanation.

'What…?' Serena said to herself confused.

Darien looked at her confused expression and smiled, deciding to help her out a little. "If you lived your life being treated differently from everyone else because you were rich enough to buy the whole damn school, by the time you're our age Serena, you feel sick and tired of it; so we just fit ourselves into the persona the people have already made for us," Darien shrugged carelessly as though what he said made perfect sense.

The other guys all nodded, looking like bobble heads.

"So you're saying that you guys don't _choose_ to be that way, but are _forced _to be that way?" Serena asked as she raised an eyebrow at the men she once thought to be devil's spawns.

"That's pretty much it," Darien said with a curt nod of his head as everyone around the table also gave their agreements with a 'yeah' or a 'close enough'.

"That makes absolutely no sense," Serena muttered to Darien under her breath so only he could hear.

He looked down at her, his eyes glittering with laugher, "Don't worry, I wouldn't expect you to understand," he said good-humoredly as he winked at her. She frowned at him in return.

Andrew watched with closely guarded emotions as he observed Serena and Darien. Serena had been very unfeeling to him from the moment she arrived with Darien. He knew he had been wrong to lie to her those times when he went to _Sweet Dreams Bakery_; but he really liked her, and he knew that if she were to know who he really was she would hate him, or worst; worship him. And he did not want her to do either. To have her hate him would mean he didn't stand a chance with her, and to have her worship him would be even more terrible because then, she would be just another fake; like every other girl he had come across.

He watched the way Serena would laugh as Darien made a comment. Andrew could feel a slight twinge of jealousy.

"And what exactly is the relationship between you and Serena?" Andrew heard himself say to Darien in a detached voice curiously. Everyone's attention was on Serena and Darien; also interested to know what their association meant.

Serena blushed, and looked at Darien to help her explain that there was nothing between them; he was much better with looking calm and collected about these things, she thought.

Darien stared at his friends' fascinated expression; anticipating their answers. "There's nothing between us," Darien answered them, and smiled smugly at everyone's disappointed expressions. "We're just friends."

At his last comment they all grunted in disbelief. Serena looked angrily at their faces. "What? A guy and a girl can be friends," Serena said obstinately.

"Yeah, of course they can be friends," James said at her, feigning a tone of great conviction, then mutter under his breath, "friends _with benefits_."

The guys smiled and chuckled as Serena glowered at his comment.

"Don't worry Serena," Andrew said as he studied her annoyed expression, happy that there was nothing between her and Darien, "you're not Darien's type anyways." Thinking to reassure her that they understood.

"And why's that?" Darien asked him as he finished making his statement. The room fell silent for a moment to listen for Andrew's answer.

Serena stared at the beach blonde sitting across the table, her eyes scrutinizing him. The man that she used to have a crush on; the one whom she would eagerly anticipate to come to bakery so she could talk to him every Saturday, Monday, Wednesday, and Thursdays in the afternoon. She looked at his relaxed face as he stared into Darien's. He opened his mouth to reply with a smile on his lips.

"Young Master, we have cleared your flight with the airports. They say you may take off anytime you wish," a middle age man, with graying hair, and large glasses interrupted Andrew's response; as everyone turned to look at him. The man stared at Darien and then bowed, waiting for something.

"Thank you, Kenji, you can take off for the rest of the night," Darien said politely to the man.

'So the man had been waiting to be dismissed,' Serena thought as she watched the man beamed at Darien before leaving the room. All around her the guys got up, clearing away the cards and empty beer bottles.

Serena looked at them puzzled. "What did he mean by 'cleared your flight with the airports'?" Serena asked aloud. "And where are you going," she turned to ask Darien as he put on his jacket again (he had taken it off some time ago while they had their poker game.)

"Darien didn't tell you?" Asked a stunned Zachary as he fixated his brown eyes on her.

"No…" Serena said as she looked at the rest of the guy's for answers, because Darien sure as hell was not going to tell her a single thing.

"It's tradition for us to have a pre-celebration before each of our birthdays. So we've decided to take Darien's new jet out for a cruise," Nathan informed her.

"Oh, I'm sorry, am I imposing?" Serena asked; her face blushing at her foolishness. "Whose birthday is it?"

Serena looked at each man's blank face as they stared at her. She blushed; the red in her cheeks glowing even brighter; she must seem quite ridiculous sitting with them for half an hour now and still she did not know as to why she was there in the first place. An uncomfortable silence fell upon them as they continued to look perplexed by her question.

"It's mine," Darien finally said.

"W-what? B-but…how come you didn't…" Serena stuttered in shock as Darien pulled her up out of her chair.

Malcom chuckled light-heartedly, patting her on the back. "No, you aren't intruding. Consider yourself the guest of honor," he told her as he softly nudged her forward.

"Where are we going?" Serena asked as she blindly followed Darien as the others walked closely behind her.

"To the airstrip; where else?" James told her.

"Are we driving there?" Serena asked as she turned her head around to stare the five men behind her as they kept walking down a long hall.

Zachary let out a small chuckle, "No, it's on the Chiba's property," he answered her.

"They have an airport on their property?" Serena exclaimed in alarm.

'They're _that_ rich?" Serena thought to herself in disbelief.

"It's not an airport," Darien said as he looked over his shoulders at her, "it's an airstrip." The guys laughed at Serena's awestruck expression.

After a while the guys started talking about their day; making jokes and comments all the way down to the airstrip that was a little ways walk away from the huge mansion. It was almost ten; the night was different when you were in downtown Tokyo. It was not as cold as it was by the ocean, and there were fewer stars out in the purple sky. The loud chirping of crickets that could be heard from the beach house was only limited to a faint, distant sound as they made their way across a paved path to a building up ahead; a single bright light shined upon the shiny red and silver jet.

Serena's breath was caught in her throat, as she stared up at the aircraft. It was beautiful to her. She was lucky to be enjoying this extravagant luxury tonight. They all stopped to admire the jet. She heard Zachary praise Darien, as Malcom patted him on the back. It seemed that they were all impressed, and not just her; the poor rich girl who had never been on a plane or out of the city for that matter.

And suddenly the long airstrip was illuminated with bright lights. Serena's eyes squinted as she held up her arm to cover her eyes from the brightness. The rest of the guys did the same. As Serena's vision cleared she saw a feminine figure step out of the shadows.

The lady had long beach blond hair flowing down her back. It was fashioned in the latest style; layered, her tips curled. She had pale blue eyes; outlined by dark mascara. Her large red lips curved into a wide smile as she stared at them. She was very beautiful, Serena admitted. The women wore an orange dress; a deep V cut into the front showing her cleavage. It was a very cute sundress; although it wasn't Serena's style. The blond looked so classy in it; her body so perfect it made Serena envious.

"You guys weren't gonna leave without me, were you?" The lady asked; enjoying the shocked looks the men gave her.

"Mina…you're back…" Darien said in a soft whisper after a long moment as the girl laughed and walked up to him.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: **All rights to Sailor Moon reserved to Naoko Takeuchi.

* * *

Chapter 6

Mina sat in the window seat; peering out into a world of puffy sheer white clouds as it turned into a dark windy night. A blur of yellow lights could be seen plotted along the main four Islands of Japan. She had been on the plane for a very long time, and the anticipation to finally be able to step on Japanese soil again kept building up inside of her. She was flying in first class. The comfy leather seats stuck to the back of her legs; and time and time again, she had to slowly stand up to peel her precious behind away from the black leather.

She was wearing khakis shorts that came up a couple of inches pass mid thigh. From under her thin black jacket you could see a light orange spaghetti strapped tank top. It was unusually warm in Paris for the last couple of days; but she winced as the pilot informed them over the intercom that it was a _nice cool evening at 54 degrees_ as the plane finally landed in Tokyo.

'Oh well,' she thought. She had planned on changing into one of her favorite sundresses after she arrived anyway.

Mina walked through the hallway that connected the plane to the airport after she grabbed Darien's present from underneath her chair. Walking out of the terminal, with her luggage in tow, she hailed for a cab. It was now 8:30, but the airport was still bustling with people walking in and out of the sliding glass doors and cabs parked along the curb, waiting for customers. She looked on into the congested streets as she slid into the seat of the taxi; the driver helping her put her bags into the trunk.

She smiled as she looked at the people's faces as they walked by; they were people that were unknown to her, yet she felt as though she knew them so well. They walked by, speaking in fluent Japanese; the language she had grown up learning. It seemed so long ago since she had heard it.

As the driver got into the cab and started to pull away, Mina rolled down her window. She stuck out her head to have the night breeze blow through her blonde hair. She smiled at the sensation, and closed her eyes; savoring the exotic smell of Japan.

"It's good to be back," She giggled as she pulled her head back in and rolled up the window.

On the way to the Aino's mansion the driver made polite conversation. Mina abided by replying to his questions with friendly enthusiasm. She looked out the window most of the time; staring at familiar streets and shops. She gasped whenever she saw a new shop she did not remember on the shopping strips. It has definitely been too long since she had gone away, for she couldn't recognize most of anything anymore.

As the cab pulled up in front of the large highly crafted mansion he beamed at her. "You live here miss?" He said as she opened the door to step out of the car. Mina nodded, and giggled at the middle aged man's shocked expression. She waited patiently as he scrambled out of the car to get her stuff out of the trunk for her.

"Thank you," she said to him as he brought her stuff right up to the door of the mansion. "How much do I owe you?" Mina asked as she reached into her Louis Vaton purse to take out her wallet.

"That'd be thirty dollars and eighty two cents miss," he told her politely.

Mina grabbed the smallest bill she could find in her wallet, "Keep the change," she smiled and handed him a fifty dollar bill. The man grinned at her before he got back into the cab and pulled out of the long driveway and out of the tall gates that fenced the mansion.

Mina took out her key and placed it into the keyhole; slowly opening the door. A man in a formal white collar shirt and black slacks walked down the hall and gawked at her. He had white hair, and large bags under his eyes; the skin around his eyes were wrinkled as he squinted to see if it really was Mina standing before him. He was a stout man on the verge of sixty, yet he was still very capable of doing his job.

"Could it be Lady Mina?" He asked her in wonderment.

"Who else would it be Aeya?" Mina asked the butler; a smile curving her lips.

"How you've grown older, Mina! It's been too long; too long I tell you!" The old man greeted her happily as he took her in a warm embrace.

Mina smiled as the man continued to squeeze her. Aeyami Saeki had worked for the Aino's since she was a baby; he was like a father to her. He watched her grow and taught her many things; in short, he was her mentor. And even though his position in the house was butler; he was treated as family.

"It's nice to see you again too, Aeya," Mina said as she stepped out of their hug to hold both of his small and wrinkled hands in hers, "I've missed you very much!"

"Mina you flatter me! Oh, your parents' will be so glad to see you; so very glad indeed, my girl," the butler continued to rant. "I must go inform them of your arrival!"

"Oh, no please! Don't; I want to surprise them," Mina said mischievously.

"You might send your mother into a faint Mina!" Aeya informed her; giving her a warning look.

"That's exactly what I want to do. Now, where are they?" She inquired as she stepped around him to look up the exquisite set of stairs leading to the floors above.

Aeya gave her a disapproving look, "If they have not moved, I believe they're still in their room."

"Thank you," she said as she ran up the stairs; stopping to turn around and face him. "Do find someone to put my luggage's in my bedroom please."

Mina could hear the man grunt at her order and she giggled. She made her way through many hallways and rooms before reaching her parents' bedroom.

She took a minute to suppress her laughter before knocking loudly and opening the door. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything."

"My goodness, dear it's Mina!" Her mother said in a barely audible whisper before she collapsed onto the bed; her eyes had been wide; astounded by the sight of her twenty-one year old daughter.

As Mina stepped through the door she watched the exchange of emotions upon her mother's soft features. Her mother had been sitting upright in bed reading through business documents before she had entered. Her father lain in bed however; both his hands tuck beneath his head, probably listening to her mother read the papers aloud.

She watched as her father sat up to smile at her. "Why you little devil. Come here and give your father a hug," he said as he stretched out his arms.

Mina laughed and complied; walking around the large bed, across the white carpet covered floor, to the other side to give him a quick hug, as he kissed her hair. Time had made him look older; his short ebony hair now glittered with a few patches of silvery white hair, and his face had become softer, no longer taut due to the fact that his skin now drooped. Mina smiled as she watched her mother gain conscious. She spent a good ten minutes in their room before excusing herself; promising to tell them everything about school the next morning.

She slinked quietly back to her room to change and prepare to leave for Darien's place. Mina knew for sure all the guys would be there; it was tradition for them to gather around Darien's house for a good hour or so before they left on their little rendezvous for his birthday. She wondered if Darien thought she had forgotten his birthday; she smiled wickedly to herself as she thought of the stunned expressions that would greet her when she appeared.

Quickly she dressed in her favorite orange sundress. The hem of the dress reached her knees; the large V in the front of the dressed exposed her cleavage, but it was not too revealing. The dress was sleeveless, yet she knew it wouldn't be too cold for her to where it out. She applied red lipstick over her lips, biting down a couple of times to make sure her lips were evenly colored. Picking up her black eyeliner, she outlined her blue eyes and then added a little bit of blush to her cheeks.

'Perfect,' she thought to herself as she stared at her reflection in the mirror atop her dresser. She got up and left her make up lying scattered all over the top. Picking up Darien's gift she turned off the light inside of her cream colored room and closed the mahogany door; at the same time trying to slip on her orange strapped sandals.

As she pulled up in front of the Chiba's mansion in her BMW that she had imported to her from the States, she thought of all the times she had been inside the Chiba's humble abode. The Chiba's were like a second family to her; she spent so much time at their house that she was practically living in it too. Rei was one of her best friends, and Darien was like the older brother she would never have. She loved them both very much. However, she couldn't say very much about their parent's though; out of the fifteen years she had known the Chiba's she had only met Mr. and Mrs. Chiba twenty times; usually at a very chic function that the Chiba's were throwing. It was funny how Darien could have almost everything in all of Japan, and yet she found herself pitying him as she stared at the grand alabaster white, Greek styled mansion.

Kenji opened the door to let her in, politely greeting her. "Young Master and his guests are in the second receiving room on the top floor near the second kitchen miss," he informed her formally as he let her inside the extravagant home.

Mina smiled and thanked him, "Do you know what they're planning to do for the evening, Kenji?" She asked, forming an ingenious idea.

"I do, miss," came his simple reply.

"Do tell me then Kenji," she ordered the middle aged man.

"I was just heading to tell Young Master that I have just received notice that the airports have been notified, and that they may choose to take flight in his new jet whenever they please Lady Mina," the butler answered her. "If you don't mind me leaving miss, I must go now and deliver the message," he said before walking down a long hall that Mina knew would lead to a grand staircase.

"Don't tell them I'm here," Mina called after him.

Kenji paused at the end of the hall, however he did not turn around, "If you must insist Lady Mina," he acknowledged, then without another word, he turned left and disappeared from her view.

'So Darien got a new toy from his parents…,' Mina said to herself as she exited the mansion into the night once again, and headed for the airstrip, planning her entrance.

As she neared the dark platform, she could make out a shadowy outline of an aircraft in the darkness of the night. She quickly made her way to the building where the supplies and equipment for the Chiba family's flying machines were kept. On top of the roof of the building was a helicopter, and inside the building (well, shed, actually) was two more private jets; they were both very old though.

She made her way in the dark, finding the controls to light up the airstrip outside (to her surprise the shed was unlocked. Probably one of the staff members up at the house had come down earlier to unlock it for Darien and the guys, Mina thought).

Mina left a single light shine upon the new jet. Finally seeing it in light Mina looked at it with great admiration. Darien's parents had always lavished him with expensive gifts; but she had to admit they really outdone themselves this time. The jet was sleek; its body aerodynamic and seemed to be one of the latest models. It was surely the most luxurious aircraft one may own in this day and age.

Out of the corner of her eyes, Mina saw seven shadowy figures approach the airstrip. She blinked; making sure the seventh figure in the group was actually there. The unknown figure was different from the rest, Mina noted quietly to herself. The stranger was too thin and petite to be a man, and that made Mina very suspicious. Her eyes lowered slightly as she studied the approaching group. Darien never mentioned anything about making a new friend. She quietly watched as the seven figures stopped to look at the jet. After a moment of waiting in curiosity to see who the seventh unknown figure was, she flipped on all the light switches, lighting the whole into airstrip; all the way down its runway.

She watched as they all closed their eyes at the blinding white hot lights that illuminated the entire area. She took that time to make her way outside. She examined the people in front of her and her eyes widened at the blonde female standing amongst her group of six friends. She recovered from her shock as she relished the expressions displayed on each man's face as they saw her step out of the shadow of the shed; she smiled sardonically at them.

"You guys weren't gonna leave without me, were you?" Mina asked innocently.

"Mina…you're back…" She heard Darien softly whisper as he came out of the stupor first.

"Happy pre-birthday Darien," Mina said as she walked up to him; holding out her gift.

Darien's face hardened as he took her gift. He gave her a quick hug as she leaned in to give him a quick kiss on the cheek. Darien didn't understand how Mina could be there; _now_. He continued to look at her in the dress she wore. It made her look seductive; her sleek body was lightly outlined by the silky material of the orange dress. Her long blonde hair was slightly blowing in the breeze. She was beautiful as always; he thought, disgusted with his reaction to her. She being here should make no difference to him; she should no longer mean anything to him, Darien thought about that as he coldly retreated from her.

"So you finally decided to come back after all these years," Darien said emotionlessly as she continued to smile at him.

"Don't use that tone with me Darien," Mina chuckled, "after all, I did come all this way for you."

'Ok, that wasn't _really_ a lie,' Mina thought to herself. She _did_ want to see Darien, but that was only one of the reasons she came back.

Darien could see right through her lie, she didn't bother coming back once during holidays, not even for her own parent's birthdays, and now she expected him to believe she came all the way from Paris to celebrate his; why would she come two months earlier than the planned time she was really supposed to be back? He stared at the beauty that stood before him, had she always been so deceitful? Darien did not want to believe he could've been fool enough to believe every story she fed to him. His eyes turned cynical as he continued to stare at her.

"It's nice to see you again Mina," Darien said to her coolly.

Mina took a step back away from him, feeling him withdraw impersonally away from her. She didn't know why he was acting so steely with her. Darien never liked being caught off guard, she thought. Putting the matter out of her mind she continued to greet everyone. Once again the girl standing before the rest of the men caught her attention. Mina studied her; the girl had a very pretty face. Her hair was also very beautiful; it glint a sun gold color in the bright lights that now illuminated the airstrip.

"Hello Mina," James said as he pulled her hands and placed it on his chest as he drew her body close to his to nuzzle her neck.

Mina didn't take her gaze off Serena though; she was scrutinizing every aspect of the new girl before her. She ignored James ministrations for a minute before pushing against his chest, laughing, "You wish," she said as James smiled down at her.

"Well it's good to see you too," he said in a mock offended tone.

Serena watched as the beautiful lady continued to hug each member of the group of men as if she had known them forever. Mina; so that was her name, Serena stored it into her head for later use. She felt like she was being picked apart and analyzed under Mina's watchful gaze; she could feel Mina's eyes never come off her as she went around the circle of friends, getting reacquainted.

Andrew could see the way Mina was looking at Serena; she had found a new victim to prey upon. For some reason, Mina loved to chase away all the girls they would date. Never had any of their previous girlfriends were ever invited to such a momentous occasion as this; and he could tell Mina was very surprised to see Serena here with them. As Mina pulled away from his hug, Andrew took the liberty to introduce the two females; (actually, he was trying to make it as pleasant an introduction as ever so Mina wouldn't get bitchy with Serena). He grabbed Mina's hand as she turned to look at Serena.

"Mina, let me introduce you to Serena Tsukino," Andrew said as casual as possible. He led her over to stand in front of Serena. "Serena, she's been a long time friend to us all," he informed her; trying to ease her confused look away from her pretty face.

"Hi, I'm," Mina started to re-introduce her after an awkward silence fell amongst them, a silence so thick it could have been parted with a knife.

"Mina, I heard," Serena interrupted; she could feel the woman's stuck-up response to her presence.

"No," Mina informed the insolent girl facing her, "only close friends call me that. But you can call me Ms. Aino," she said in her most snooty tone, glaring down at the slip of a woman before her.

'Gosh, is she wearing a guy's shirt? Hold on a minute! I bought that for Darien a few years back!' Mina realized as she stared at Serena; her eyes growing with hate. Mina didn't want to believe this girl could be one of Darien's bed partners.

'Okay,' Serena thought as she held her chin high and took a step toward the bitchy blonde girl, 'maybe not _all_ of Darien's friends were nice people,' she thought to herself.

"In that case, since we're deciding to _acknowledge_ each other," Serena said in a defiant voice, "you may also address me as Ms. Tsukino."

Darien stared in amusement as the two females glared at each other. He could see Andrew's mouth open in shock, and from the corner of his eyes he could see James clapping and whooping at Serena's comment. Darien reminded himself not to _ever_ get on Serena's bad side. He admired the way she didn't even try to hide her anger. He noticed the glint in her eyes as she lowered her eyelids menacingly to stare at Mina. His lips curved into a smile; Mina's face was of shock and anger. Darien knew Mina did not expect Serena to act like this.

Mina took a step closer to Serena, and Andrew followed suit. Darien couldn't hold his laughter in as Mina turned to glare at Andrew; he coughed loudly to hide his mirth as Andrew shrank back in obvious fear of Mina's viciousness when riled. And Serena just stood there, looking damned brave and innocent. She was really something else, Darien thought to himself as he watched the scene unfold before him. James moved to his side, he too was watching intently the two females.

"If we don't do something soon, there's going to be one hell of a cat fight Darien," James whispered to him, but his eyes glowed with delight.

Andrew was in complete confusion. How could he have let things get out of hand so soon, he asked to himself. "Uh…Mina, probably you shouldn't…" Andrew stopped his protest again as Mina turned her head to glare at him once more, her eyes were lowered in anger.

"Back off Andrew!" She yelled at the top of her lungs at the quivering male behind her before turning her attention on advancing towards Serena once more.

"Could you be any louder?" Serena asked, shaking her head in disapproval as she lifted her hands to cover her ears, " I think you just woke up the servants back at the house," Serena told Mina coolly, her face showed of slight irritation.

Mina fumed; her face was red with uncontrollable rage. She was ready to slap Serena. What an insolent, rude child! Serena's face was turned up towards hers; she looked calm and collected as she crossed her arms over her chest in the defensive position. Never, Mina thought, never had she met any of the guy's girlfriends who had acted as impolite as this one! And she never liked any of the other ones before either.

All the girls she had been introduced to by the guys were always such fakes. No matter how rich or how beautiful they all were, they were only out for the guys for personal gain. None of the previous girlfriends truly liked them. The women always pretended to be innocent and willing; they tried so hard to hide their evil nature behind their beautiful face and rich family but Mina always saw through the facade. And this girl, Serena, who the hell was she? Was she from a rich family, or is she only a pretty face aspiring to gain wealth by being with Darien and the guys? Either way, Mina thought, Serena was somehow different from the rest. And she, Mina Aino, would never rest in peace if a girl like Serena snagged a guy as great as Darien.

"What the fuck is your relationship with the guys?" Mina asked in a quiet and deadly voice so Serena could only hear.

"That," Serena said unperturbed, "is between me and the guys only. If you wanna know, go ask one of them, because I sure as hell am not telling you."

Darien heard that alright. And he had to bite his lips to hold back his laughter. Serena had a bite and a wit even stronger than Mina herself; and he was glad. Maybe becoming friends with her after all wasn't a mistake. He saw the rest of the guys shift uneasily towards the brewing argument between Serena and Mina.

Mina raised her hand threateningly as to slap the smirk off Serena's face. She stared in surprise that Serena didn't even back down; instead, she took a step closer and raised her right cheek towards her raised palm. Mina could here the guys giving protests, but she smiled. If the girl wanted a good slap in the face, Mina thought, then that's exactly what she was going to get. Mina swung her hand downwards towards Serena's face, hard.

Serena smiled all the more, she was ready to counter Mina's slap. Did this rich girl, Serena thought, think she could easily strike her without her putting up a fight? It was rather funny. Serena waited for the right moment to grab her wrist and twist it into a painful hold. 'Three, two…one!' Serena counted to herself, her hand shot out to grab the offending hand but…but….

Mina took a step back in surprise as she looked at her wrist being held in the firm grip of Darien's. She looked at him with fury. Why the hell did he stop her? He never stopped her before; not even when she slapped James, Zachary, Nathan, Andrew, and Malcom's other girlfriends. She glowered at the tight hold of his; she tried pulling her hand away but Darien's grip was of steel. She lifted her eyes up to his to look at his expression. Again, it held no emotion.

"Why the heck did you stop me?" Mina shouted at him. "She was being disrespectful towards me Darien! You heard her!" Mina fumed even louder at his cold and aloof features, "Let go of me!"

At the same time Mina tried pulling away, Darien released her. Mina flew backward onto the cold cement on the ground.

"I'd like it, if you stop acting like a whining, spoiled, little girl," Darien said in between Mina's curses and whining as she rubbed her soar behind, "Serena is a friend," Mina looked up at him as she dust off her dress, "Nothing more, and nothing less," Darien told her, his emotions still undetectable as he stared down at her.

"Oh please, she's nothing worth protecting, Darien," Mina protested, but quieted as Darien's face contorted into something that resembled great irritation.

"And I expect you think you have every right to do as you please? Serena is my friend Mina, just like you are," Darien tried to explain, "Anyways; you were the only bitch here at the moment," Darien's voice was cold and unfeeling, "Right guys?"

Mina's mouth opened in utter sock. Darien just called her a bitch, she thought to herself in mortification. Maybe she did go too far. She looked around at the rest of the guys, and they too were nodding there head in agreement at Darien's conclusion of her attitude. Mina blushed; feeling ashamed for her behavior. She tore her gaze away from the guys and looked down at the ground. She had finally worn down Darien's tolerance for her.

"You will be nice to Serena…at least try to get along for my sake," Darien told her, his voice softening.

Darien couldn't help but feel a little bit guilty; he knew Mina was on the brink of tears. For some reason, he just couldn't get her out of his system. He just felt too protective of her, and the way she was behaving now, was the direct result of his behavior. He spoiled her. He loved her too much. And even now, he felt the same.

Serena fell quiet as she watched what just happened. Did Darien just protect her, she wondered. Her heart gave a weird lurch in her chest, and she felt warmth seeping through her. That was awfully nice of him, even though she had the situation controlled. She looked at Darien's harsh features, memorizing his handsome face; he really was beautiful, she admitted. Their friendship would probably be for the best then. And Serena just couldn't help but anticipate what the future had in stored for their relationship.

A silence fell after Darien's request to Mina. His words had taken the breath out of her; his soft request was so sincere she couldn't refuse. The crickets chirped faintly in the background somewhere in the far distance, everyone watched her; waiting for her agreement. Mina looked up into the dark purple night sky lit by a sky of endless stars that was blotched by the clouds that moved endlessly throughout the night. And then the answer hit her.

"The clouds may block the stars from time to time, but with a little patience, the stars will be unclouded. I guess, I'll give it a try and see where things lead," Mina said as she looked into Darien's eyes and smiled softly.

Darien nodded his approval before turning to look at Serena. He gave her a bright smile. Her face was pale from the cold breeze, and her lips were pink and round and moist as she licked them to prevent them from drying. She looked completely innocent; as if she wasn't at all about ready to kill Mina herself a few minutes ago.

"I had the situation under control," She told him softly, as her trusting gaze locked with his.

Darien stared into the deep crystal blue depths of her large eyes framed by thick long lashes, and a new emotion erupted in him. Something that even he had never willingly given to Mina and Serena's trusting nature had enabled to give her his own trust. His eyes warmed as he stared at the soft features of her face, her lips curving into a radiant smile. He trusted her completely.

"I know you did," he said good-naturedly, "But having a death on the Chiba's lands will surely cause an uproar in the media, as the heir to the Chiba's fortune and companies, I could not allow that," Darien's eyes gleamed with amusement.

"Hhmm…good point," Serena said with equal gravity, her features serious, and Darien let out a loud deep chuckle before chucking her under the chin.

The rest of the guys closed in, restating their favorite lines from Serena, and laughing merrily amongst themselves. And Darien and Serena felt content.

"Oh sorry Mr. Chiba I apologize if I have kept you all waiting," A man who looked as though he was in his early thirties came scurrying out of the Chiba's shed of aircrafts. He was panting as though he had run a great distance, his rumpled brown hair was covered with a pilot hat and he wore a white collar shirt with a pair of tiny golden wings clipped at his chest pocket. His indigo slacks were neatly ironed and fitted his thin legs. So this must be the family pilot, Serena thought, gosh, he looks awfully young.

"No problem," Darien told the pilot formally, "Shinta please let us into the jet so we can be on our way."

The pilot named Shinta hurried forward pushing a stair forward to open the jet door, "We've already had the hand's up at the house fuel it and check the engines while we were waiting for the answer from the airport Mr. Chiba, we're good to go."

"Good," Darien replied quickly, acknowledging Shinta's good thinking.

The rest of the guys followed Darien into the jet, all eager to see if the interior was just as wonderful as the exterior. Serena felt excited too, this was her first time ever getting on an aircraft; she had never been on a plane in her life. And now, she was with new friends, doing things that were new to her; things she could only dream of. She walked forward a couple of paces before Mina stepped into her path.

"Ms. Aino, I don't want to cause any trouble," Serena said coldly as she looked at Mina.

"Me neither," Mina agreed, her features now sincere, "Look, maybe I was too quick to judge you. Darien was right; maybe I should at least _try_ to be nice right?"

"Please what exactly is your point?" Serena asked uncertainly as she stared at Mina.

"Alright, you know you're just like Darien, you want things right down to the point; you want things bluntly put. Can't you two just be patient? No wonder why you're friends…"

"Mina, you're digressing."

"Oops, sorry," Mina blushed, "Okay girly, here's the deal," Mina's voice took on a hard edge again, "One mistake from you Ms. Tsukino, and I will make sure your life is a living hell, you got that?"

"What? And you think I'm just going to _let_ you make my life a living hell? Think again Ms. Aino," Serena said haughtily.

And Mina did another thing that confused Serena. She smiled. "No, I don't think you're just going to sit back and watch me. Actually, I expect a pretty good fight from you Ms. Tsukino."

Serena was at a lost of words. Did she just compliment me, Serena thought to herself. "First off, don't expect me to make a mistake, and secondly, I don't plan on just putting up a good fight; no, I'm going to win. Do you get _that_?" Serena finally said when she found her voice.

Mina smiled, "We'll have to wait and see now won't we Ms. Tsukino?"

"Don't sound too confident, and lastly, don't underestimate me," Serena warned her.

"If you say so Ms. Tsukino," Mina continued to say light-heartedly.

"What's holding you two up?"

Mina and Serena looked up at the sound of Darien's voice at the door of the jet. His lean strong body framed the entrance as his eyes scanned the two females for any sign of a dispute, but quickly rested on the small smile on Serena's serene features.

"We were just having a…_word…_" Serena said mischievously.

"Yeah Darien, don't need to worry so much. I won't hurt a hair on her head…_yet_," Mina added, with laughter in her voice.

"Well then can you to finish having your 'word' inside, because we're ready to go," Darien said in a tone of annoyance before disappearing into the jet.

Mina laughed, her laughter was loud and melodic, and Serena just found it contagious. After a few seconds, their laughter finally subsided.

Mina's eyes glowed with warmth now as she looked at Serena, "Never, never ever, _ever_, keep Darien waiting."

And with that, the two women raced up the stairs into the jet giggling like two little girls.

"Okay, you know what? Maybe I did misjudge you," Mina said as they sat beside one another in two big fat armchairs as they watched the guys play a round of pool in the center of the playroom in the jet.

The jet had five rooms; the front of the jet was the cockpit, the second room was the lounge room; it had shelves of books, a desk, and a coffee table, with a sofa and couch; it wasn't very big, it was probably the size of her bedroom. The third room was the play room, located in the center of the jet. It had soda machines and snack machines at each of the four corners of the room; scattered across the room were assortments of table games such as pool, foosball, pinball, and arcade games. In the fourth room, which was known as the TV room, it could have passed as a mini private theater; it had hundreds of movies, Japanese movies and foreign movies, everything. The fifth room held the kitchen and restroom in the back of the jet. The whole jet was carpeted with a dark blue carpet, the walls were painted a tan-ish color, and the furniture was of mahogany. The jet was surely the most luxurious automotive transport Serena had ever been on.

Serena turned her head to look at Mina. "You and I are starting over. Yes, that is what we shall do," Mina said enthusiastically regardless of Serena's blank expression.

"My name is Aino Minako," Mina said amiably as she stuck out her right hand to Serena. Serena's eyebrows drew together in confusion as she stared at Mina's proffered hand.

"Awww, come on, don't leave me hanging like this," Mina pouted, "Shake my hand and reintroduce yourself," she coached.

"Uh, um…Hi Ms. Aino, my names Tsukino Serena," Serena said uncertainly as she clasped Mina's hand in hers.

"It's nice to meet you, but you can call me Minako for now."

Serena smiled. So Mina's trying to start over from the beginning on friendlier terms, she realized, "In that case, you can also call me Serena."

"So tell me about yourself, Serena," Mina asked with a thoughtful grin. "Is there more to your tough girl exterior than what it seems?" She winked as Serena blushed.

A pretty pink color tinted her smooth cream colored cheeks. And under the soft yellow circular light from above them, her hair gleamed gold. Serena thought for a minute, she drew her jean-clad knees up to her chest on the chair and hugged them. Her head lightly rest atop as she stared at the guys laughing and cursing in the center of the room.

Mina watched as an expression of deep contemplation came over Serena's soft features. "Tough question?" She asked as a minute passed and Serena's eyes still appeared clouded and mystified.

"Hhmm," Serena smiled as she tilted her head to look at Mina, "I'm still thinking." Mina was being very nice, Serena thought as she watched Mina chuckle, would her attitude change if she learned that she came from low society? It had only been a quarter hour since the jet had took flight, but Serena could already tell that having Mina as a friend would mean she would gain a great ally. But what did she care if Mina liked her or not, Serena reminded herself. To lie would be even worse; as a girl, she learned to be true to herself, and that, is exactly what she was gonna do.

"Well," ("Oh finally, I should have started with an easier question," Mina laughed) "I come from low society. My family, you see, is kinda broke. We were doing fine with bills and everything at our one story house in the Juuban district, but we had to sell the house after my parents enrolled me into Akita. I was at work when they did it, they used up every penny they had to do it too, and you can imagine how I felt when I came home hungry and tiered, to find a moving van with all of my belongings in it, in front of the house," Serena watched as Mina's eyes widened in shock at her confession.

"Is something wrong?" Serena asked. From her tone of voice Mina could tell she was challenging her to make a comment about her financial standings. Slowly Mina realized that Serena had already anticipated her reaction to her confession. This made Mina feel guilty because she really did feel appalled, but she also felt even more inclined to listen to what Serena had to say.

"No, nothings wrong; continue," Mina said brightly at a stunned Serena.

"Alright," Serena said, "My parents had jipped me off. I soon learned that they too, had used _my_ savings to throw me into high society without my consent. I was raging at them; you couldn't possibly imagine how angry I was. My mom lost her job as a seamstress a year ago and now she's currently a housewife; my dad, well, he's hanging onto his job as a construction worker by a thread. Neither, as you can see, will not be able to support all three of us. Anyways, I demanded them to get their money back and take me out of Akita. My parents instead retaliated by sending me on the guilt trip," Mina laughed at Serena's forlorn expression, "They told me 'we are doing no such thing, think Serena, either you go to the university, or you don't have to go', I thought they were actually giving me an option, you know? Turned out that if I didn't go, they didn't plan on withdrawing the money for my classes there, so in the end we would lose the money anyway."

"Your parents sure seem like nice people," Mina said sarcastically.

"Ha, they are. You see, they just want me to have a better life than what they can provide me. I don't think that placing me in Akita will do any good but I know my parents secretly hope for me to find a rich husband there. And that is why I'm still very mad at them."

Mina's eyes lowered into slits at Serena's comment, "So, is that why you're here? To fulfill your parent's dream of marrying a rich guy?" Mina's voice was cold and harsh.

"Actually, I dragged her with me against her will."

Mina and Serena turned to look a Darien standing before them; he was leaning on his pool stick casually as he looked at the two. He had heard Serena's story and found it quite reasonable to the way she acts toward the people of higher society than she. Her cold exterior towards them (Nathan, James, Malcom, Zachary, Andrew, and Himself) was because she didn't like the way they were bullying students to the point where they dropped out of school. It all made sense to him now. Serena not only didn't think what they were doing was right, but she also knew that if she were to become the victim, she couldn't drop out like the others, she would have to endure the pain and humiliation they would have subjected her to. Serena was a very complex person, Darien decided.

"What?" Mina's eyes showed of confusion.

"I kidnapped her," Darien said, his eyes twinkling with delight as he winked at Serena.

"Damn right you did, you rich snob!" Serena shouted at him.

Darien chuckled at the way Serena jumped to his bait, "Oh come on, you know you wanted to come, it would have taken me just a little more time to have persuade you, that's all."

"Actually, you would have had one hell of a time trying to persuade me if I walked away, you asshole," Serena fumed at his arrogance.

"Would you two care to explain?" Mina inquired, completely lost at this point.

"I just got off work when this…this man came and," Serena began to tell.

"I kidnapped her after work, so what? Nothing else to it Mina," Darien drawled as he watched Serena turn red again.

"You refused to tell me where we were going, and you got my clothes drenched!" Serena shouted at him.

"What?" Mina and Andrew asked at the same time.

Andrew too had come to stand beside Darien. "Care to explain?" Andrew asked coolly as he stared at Serena, whose expression darkened at his presence.

"What do you think Serena? Should we tell them?" Darien asked Serena with a conspirator-y glint in his eyes as he stared at her.

Serena smiled knowingly before shaking her head, "I think that we should just let them wonder. I mean, what happened was personal right?" She asked innocently as Darien laughed.

This made Andrew feel uncomfortable. Friends, Andrew thought, they can't be just friends. He stared from Serena to Darien, if they were more than friends they sure don't act like it, he thought. With a sudden relief at his realization he decided not to think of it. But what did those two do, he couldn't help but wonder.

"Huuuh…"Mina gasped, "Are you keeping a secret from me?" She asked Darien.

"It's Ok for me to keep secrets from you," Darien said coldly, his expression aloof again, "it's not like we're going out anymore."

"What?" Serena said; shocked at what she just heard. Mina…and Darien?

"But we're friends!" Mina shouted

"Andrew is also my friend," Darien pointed out, feeling a little joy in frustrating Mina.

"But I'm your bestest best friend Darien!" Mina whined.

"Hey, just because you two went out doesn't make you're his only friend Mina," Malcom said as he and the rest of the guys closed in around Serena and Mina's plush armchairs, drawing up folding chairs to sit on.

"Shut it, Malcom," Mina hissed at him.

"Looks like you two are getting along now," James noted.

"Of course, two girls like us, with a pack of men like you? We've got to stick together, right Serena," Mina said and winked at her.

Serena laughed, "Sure, right," she said.

"She didn't sound convincing Mina, what did you do? Coerce her into agreeing?" Zachary chided playfully, "Did you threaten to set Darien loose on her while she's sleeping," Blank stares closed on him, "Come on," Zachary asked looking around at everyone's confused expression, "We all know Darien must suck in bed, why else would Mina dump him-OUCH!" Zachary shouted as Darien's fist connected with his arm.

Everyone laughed as Zachary rubbed his soon-to-be bruised arm. "That wasn't funny," he drawled darkly.

"And neither was your comment," Darien reminded him.

"Hey! I was only joking," Zachary defended.

"Attention all: If you all would like a beautiful view of the Tokyo skyline, please look through the windows to the left," Shinta, the pilot's voice said over the intercom.

Serena turned in her chair to look out at the window behind her. Her breath was caught in her throat. She didn't know anything could be this beautiful. The night outside was pitch black, but the lights from the city shined radiantly. The skyscrapers looked like crystal towers the way its lights twinkled; the city was a beautiful light show. The moving lights of cars, bustling down freeways and the young people walking across the streets club-hopping, the glow from street lamps and home windows looked magical from the sky. Everything was small, and looked so perfect. The pulling of the waves in and out of the shores reflected a full moon. Its silvery beam of light cascading down upon the heavenly city had a spontaneous effect. _Crystal Tokyo_, Serena thought as she looked down upon the seemingly lively city.

Darien slightly smiled at Serena's in drawn breath as she stared out of the window. She seemed like a little girl, pure of heart, as she stared into a candy shop. Serena was a work of art, and hopefully, she would never change. Innocent and pure, she was not at all like the women these day and ages. Although she wasn't much of a looker, Darien thought, her true beauty is in her personality. And that intrigued him.

Serena turned around to find all seven pairs of eyes on her. She blushed, "My first time on an aircraft," she admitted, a nervous laugh spilling from her lips.

Darien chuckled, "Tell us something we don't know."

"Gee, was I that obvious?"

"Yep"

"Yeah"

"Pretty much," Seven different answers answered her. Serena glowered at them.

"I wasn't asking," She told them.

The outing continued on for hours. Darien had a large chocolate cake that was brought out of the kitchen at eleven. The guys brought out sake, and everyone sang and had cake. Serena really enjoyed herself, and was rather disappointed when they had landed once again in front of the Chiba's shed on the airstrip. Never in her life had Serena imagined she could gain so many friends in one day. And most certainly since they were all rich.

Finding herself walking towards the Chiba's mansion, reality finally sank in to her.

"Oh my gosh! What time is it?" Serena shouted, looking at one member of the group to the other.

"It's two in the morning, why?" Darien asked as he lowered his wrist with his watch on it.

Serena looked into the dark shadows of his face in the night. "My parents! I forgot to call them," She told him.

"We're going on ahead you two," Mina said as she grabbed Malcom's hand and dragged him towards the Mansion.

"Hey!" Malcom shouted at Mina, the rest of the guys followed.

"Here," Darien said as he took out his cell phone and handed it to her, "Call them."

"I'm not even sure if they're awake Darien," Serena said, shaking her head to decline his offer.

Darien reached out and grabbed her hand, shoving his phone into it, "It's late, you're tired, I'm tired, and there is no way in hell I'm going to let you walk home at this time of the morning," Darien told her firmly, "So call and leave a message or something and tell them where your at, at least."

Serena nodded and smiled at Darien. He really was a good person, she thought as she dialed home. She watched as Darien patiently waited, watching her. By the third ring there was an answer.

"Hello?" She said into the phone.

"Who the hell is this? It's two in the morning!" Ilene Tsukino shouted from the other end of the receiver.

"Mom, it's me," Serena said quietly, embarrassed as Darien raised an eyebrow at her. He heard, alright.

"Serena? Where have you been? You were supposed to be back eight hours ago! You missed dinner girl, when you come home I won't be making you any, you hear? I said, do you hear me?" Ilene shouted, and Serena couldn't help but blush even more. Darien was trying so very, _very_ hard not to laugh at her.

"Mom…Mom…MOM!" Serena shouted in between her mother's rantings to get her attention.

"You don't need to yell dear, I can hear perfectly fine," Ilene assured her daughter. (Yeah right, thought Serena)

"Look, I was out with some friends tonight mom. A birthday celebration, and we just got back to the house. Um, I won't be back 'til morning OK? So don't worry about me, I'll be fine," Serena informed her mother who was still mumbling under her breath.

"If you woke me up to tell me that, I'm going to smack you when you get home Serena!" Ilene shouted. (Darien smiled now.)

"What, huh?" Serena asked, confused.

"My dumb child," Ilene said in a sympathetic voice, "Of course I knew you were probably out getting a life! It's about time too, but you aren't coming home? Your father won't like that. But if you called at two in the morning just to tell me something as unimportant as that I gonna skin you…" Ilene's voice was cut off as Serena hit the 'end' button.

She let out a relieved sigh. Darien's laughter made her head jerk up to stare at him. She glared at his shaking form.

"That was not in the least bit funny," She hissed at him, handing him his cell phone back. (Darien laughed even harder.)

"Shut up! It's not as if your parent's never been like that to you," Serena grumbled.

Darien stopped laughing at her remark. A serious expression was almost visible oh his face to Serena in the dark of the morning. "No, actually, they've never been like that to me." Darien confessed to her.

"O-oh," Serena said uncertainly. Then something just struck her, "Where are your parents' anyway?"

"Abroad," his answer was simple, straight to the point; his tone a cutting edge of finality.

"Oh," Serena said again, awkwardly.

Darien and Serena began to walk back quietly towards the house. Both in deep thinking, the companionable silence comforted them, though both did not speak.

"Oh! I'm sorry! I didn't even give you a gift," Serena realized.

"It's alright," Darien reassured her, s soft smile tugging at his lips.

"It is _not_ alright! Today, well yesterday, you took me to the beach, let me borrow some of your clothes, took me on your new jet, and let me freeload from you! I've got to give you at least something!" Serena insisted.

Darien laughed a rich warm sound that warmed Serena, "No it's Ok, you don't have to give me anything. I enjoyed your company."

"Ha! More like you were forced to enjoy my company. I mean once we were flying you couldn't have chucked me out of the door," Serena muttered.

This made Darien laughed even more. After a few minutes, his laughter subsided and he stopped walking to smile down at Serena.

"You've already given me the greatest gift of all," He said sincerely to her.

"Oh yeah, and what was that?" Serena said sarcastically, giving him a challenging look as she too, stopped walking.

"Laughter," Darien said.

"Huh?"

"You make me laugh," Darien noticed the frown that formed on her face, "that's a good thing. I haven't had a good laugh in a long time."

The two started walking again. Serena contemplated what Darien had just told her. Laughter, she thought. He was glad that she gave him laughter. It was very strange, she thought, how he just got a jet for a birthday present but valued her gift more. He said that her gift of laughter was the greatest of all. She didn't understand Darien.

"I insist upon giving you something, please," Serena said genuinely, "If not as a birthday gift; then accept a present as a thank you for one of the best nights of my life."

They had just reached the long porch at the front of the mansion; they were standing between two tall white shafts. Darien stared down into Serena's face. Her skin was white in the silvery light from the moon. Her upturn face was looking up into his, and her eyes were wide, waiting for him to say something. He stared into the crystal depths of her eyes, they were mesmerizing; like magnets, he was drawn to them. Falling into warm and trusting sensations that surrounded him was how he felt as he stared into her eyes. On impulse his hands raised to her cheeks, cupping them as he caressed her lips with his thumbs, tenderly stroking them.

Her lips were pink and round, inviting and warm. And instincts took over.

"You really want to give me a gift?" He asked her as he stared into her eyes.

She nodded, slowly licking her lips that had dried from the chilling breeze, her tongue lightly brushing his thumbs.

Darien was enraptured with her mouth. "A kiss. Will you give me that?" He asked her.

"I, uh, sure," Serena said hesitantly. "But I'm not too good, I must tell you," she warned him as she stared into his eyes, but his beautiful face was already descending down toward hers.

Feeling panic rise in her she took a step back, and Darien chuckled softly, "Stay still," he advised.

Serena closed her eyes and stood rigid with her hands clenched into fists at her sides. At the first brush of Darien's soft lips against hers Serena thought it felt as though someone was caressing her lips with a feather, for that was how Darien was kissing her. He was placing soft, feather like kisses on her mouth.

"Relax," he said, the movement of his lips brushed against hers.

She was trying to relax, she really was, but Darien's close proximity to hers was drugging. She could feel the warmth of his body just inches away; she could smell the sweet and musky scent of his skin, and the way his hot breath stroked her lips was making her knees go weak. Serena never knew anyone would make her feel this way. Deciding that since it was her gift to give and not his, she would be the one to give the kiss.

Serena stepped forward, bringing her body into closer contact with Darien's, and lifted her chin upward to connect their mouths. Lightly she moved her lips gently over his, making sure she wasn't putting too much pressure. His lips were soft against hers. And too her surprise Darien laughed. He laughed at her! Serena pulled back to stare at him. It was her first kiss and he laughed! Serena scowled at him, what a jerk, she thought.

"You call that a kiss?" Darien mocked, his eyes twinkled mischievously.

"Are you making fun of me?" Serena challenged.

"That was not a kiss, Serena."

"That most certainly was, you…you snob!" Serena was immediately crushed to Darien's hard body. In an instant Serena's mind went blank; Darien's lips had conquered hers. The sensual movements and the slight pressure of his mouth were gentle yet firm. Serena's body turned to mush against his; she could feel his strong chest press to hers, and his hands cupping her face. And in seconds, the kiss changed.

Darien's mouth slanted possessively over hers, he had made sure to be gentle first, giving her time to pull away; but she didn't. She was so soft, so warm, and giving in his arms. He could feel her honesty in the kiss; her lips trembled under his assault, but soon she grew bolder and began to respond enthusiastically. She was slowly driving Darien's senses crazy. His hands moved in her hair, the silky strands gliding through his fingers, he then found himself pushing her head back to gain better access to her mouth. Serena's mouth immediately molded with his. His lips began his battles of winning the entry into her mouth, gently nudging her lips to part. Slowly he let his tongue run over her lips, licking and suckling at her bottom one. She tasted like strawberries, sweet and salty-sour.

Serena gasped, her mind going haywire as her hands moved upward to clutch onto his shirt. Darien took full advantage of the situation, and his tongue swept into her mouth. His tongue touched hers, caressing, rubbing, and dancing with her inexperienced one. She did try to pull away then, but stopped and returned to kissing him whole heartedly. Darien could feel her hands slide up his chest and grasp him around the shoulders. She sure isn't acting shy now, Darien thought as Serena began her own assault on his mouth.

Abruptly Darien pulled away. He couldn't tell if it was he who groaned or she who whimpered at the lost of the connection. What was he thinking, he thought to himself. Darien looked down at Serena; she had the most confused expression on her face. Her lips looked swollen, and her face was flushed. Darien wanted to kiss her again but thought better of it. He took a step away from her; she was going to be his friend and nothing more that was what he had decided. But the way she had just kissed him right now had the strangest affect on him. He realized he was fully aroused.

"That, Serena," Darien said, his voice coolly detached, "was a kiss."

Serena stared at him. That was the most wonderful kiss she had ever gotten, actually, it was the only kiss she had every gotten from someone outside of her family. And it was wonderful. Darien would prove to be a most passionate lover, she thought. But that thought was quickly stomped upon.

'What are you thinking, stupid,' Serena mentally berated herself, 'You can't get involved with someone like Darien, and he isn't your type,' she continued to reason.

Serena smiled, "You have now given me a gift instead of I, you."

"Think nothing of it," Darien said coolly before retreating to the double doors. "It wasn't anything, Serena, just a kiss."

Serena knew what he meant, he didn't want her to think that the kiss meant more than it seemed. He didn't want their relationship to be anything more than what it already was. And Serena understood. She too, didn't want to get involved with him. The media followed his every move, his every sexual exploit was made known and well, she didn't want to be on the cover of all of Tokyo's magazines. Plus, she didn't want a man to complicate her life.

"You don't have to put me down or anything Darien, I feel the same way," She said.

Darien stopped as he was about to step through the doors. He turned to smile at her, "Good, it seems that you and I have an understanding. Oh and Serena," Darien said the second part in a teasing tone, "You were wrong."

"Wrong about what?"

"You can kiss pretty well to me," Darien said as he disappeared behind the door.

Serena blushed a deep crimson before walking into the mansion after him. Never, she decided, is she ever going to let Darien kiss her like that again. He was too handsome for his own good. No wonder why women flock to him. But she wasn't going to be like that. No, she didn't want anything else from him other than his friendship.


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: **All rights to Sailor Moon reserved to Naoko Takeuchi.

* * *

Chapter 7

"It's about time you two," Mina shouted as Serena walked through the doors, colliding into Darien's solid back. Mina and the guys had reached the house fifteen minutes ago, and were beginning to worry about leaving the two of them alone.

Serena frowned at him as he looked down at her and winked. She pushed past him and walked down the small set of stairs separating the double oak doors into the sunken receiving room. The room had a high ceiling with a crystal chandelier hanging from up above. Its fineness was breathtaking the way it sparkled. The receiving room, Darien had informed her, when he had dragged her into the mansion before they got onto the jet, was also known as the Gold room. The floor was granite, the color of bronze and gold; the walls were a soft yellow which was accentuated by the strips of golden wall paper that ran across the top of the walls. Statues of angels and maidens of English society were scattered all over the room in various positions; all, Darien had mentioned, were made in the sixteenth through eighteenth century.

Upon the yellow walls were golden framed portraits of deceased members of the Chiba family; there was one of Darien of course, as a small, but yet rather very cute boy. The furniture was of dark mahogany; bookshelves that sat against the walls were filled with hundreds of books of different languages, cultures, science, and more. Tall windows were draped in fancy gold curtains, armchairs, sofas, and couches too were nice bronze leather. Serena was awed by the beautiful gold lamps that helped light the room other than the chandelier, and the display of gold nuggets in a corner that was encased in a glass window against the wall was of a very great discovery for the Chiba family that drew even more attention to them from the media.

Mina seemed to have forgotten that Darien and Serena had come back almost immediately after she had made her statement, and engaged in another heated argument with the guys.

"What do you mean I should stay here? I just came back Malcom!" Mina argued, "My parent's will be worried."

"It's late Mina, we're all a little buzzed from the sake and beer; it's best if you and Serena just stay here," Malcom reasoned.

"What's up guys?" Serena asked as she joined in with the group, Darien, slowly making his way towards them too. Mina's face showed great determination while Malcom's just held slight irritation.

"Mina, you and Serena are not going anywhere. Just stay 'til dawn if you have to, it's not like you've never slept here before," Darien tried to persuade her, his voice an authoritative tone. He looked quite mean when he was serious, Serena thought, looking at his face becoming harsh and hard. His lean figure towered over her and Mina. She couldn't blame teachers for cowering in fear when Darien was like this.

"I'm taking Serena, and that's final!" Mina shouted, not making eye contact with Darien's piercing ones. Mina turned and grabbed Serena's wrist, dragging her back up the stairs to the door before anyone could stop her. Serena was completely immobile; she was too stunned to react.

"Happy 23rd Birthday Darien, Serena and I will be leaving now," she said in a triumphant tone.

"What? Huh?" Serena gasped. Serena looked at the men's expression of dismay and disappointment. She waved, "Uh, bye, it was nice to meet you all, and I had a great time-," Mina dragged Serena out of the doors and back into the night again before she could say goodnight…er, good morning.

"Sorry about that," Mina giggled evilly, "I'm all about making an entrance and exit," She informed her confused companion. Mina walked to the driver's side of her silver BMW. "Get in," She called to Serena, turning on the engine.

Serena nodded, feeling slightly dazed. "Where are we going?" She asked as she gawked at the car. Its leather seats were tan while the dash board and steering wheel was a midnight black. The car was clean as new, not even dust could have been visible on the carpet. A foreign car, Serena thought, what is it with rich people and foreign cars? She could understand that this luxury car was quite nice but, isn't there more important things to buy than to waste money on a _foreign_ car? She would never understand rich people.

"My house," Mina answered her in her usual cheery demeanor as she turned on her CD player to play Utada Hikaru's songs. "Don't look so nervous," Mina said, misinterpreting Serena's look of dismay at the car with panic for going to her home. "I haven't had any time with you to get some dirt on you; its good to know your enemies you know? I needed to steal you away tonight," Mina laughed. She concentrated on driving for a while, humming and singing parts of songs.

"So Serena," Mina asked casually, "How old are you?"

"I'm eighteen," Serena answered, looking out of her window into the dark night, watching the passing buildings and trees. She didn't notice Mina's astounded expression.

"WHAT!" Mina yelled.

The car jerked to an abrupt stop in the middle of the road.

Darien watched as a fifteen year old Mina skipped around him in the park. Her eyes were wide with joy, peach colored lips were parted as laughter rang from them, and her pale blonde hair was shoulder-length and bouncing as her head bobbed from side to side. It was his 17th birthday that day, and he remembered it so clearly. The afternoon sky was blue with patches of clouds in every which-way-direction. It was uncomfortably warm. Mina was garbed in shorts and a green tank-top while he had worn a pair of jean shorts and a white tee.

The park was filled with many people that day. It was a very beautiful park; its landscape was as green as ever, styled in the way of a Japanese tea garden. Waterfalls and artificial rivers flowed peacefully throughout the park. In the very center of the park was a lake, its crystal clear sapphire depths now reminded him of Serena's eyes. The lake had always calmed him when he was angry or frustrated. It had been his place of solace. In areas of the park were buildings of shrines and fake temples, the ancient Japanese styled towers loomed over the trees, its shadows were a welcome shade to visitors.

And Mina had invited him out that day.

He never could refuse her, and so he went along. They walked hand in hand along the paved pathways past lovely waterfalls and magnificently carved fountains, spurting water into the air. Mina had talked to him about school, friends, and…the future…_their_ future.

Darien had drawn Mina into his arms as they stood atop a hill, looking down upon the lake. His hands were fastened around her waist and her back, a possessive hold that she alone was given by him. They had spent the whole day talking and enjoying themselves, one of the most memorable birthdays he had…thanks to her. As they looked upon the peaceful scenery before them and watched the setting sun work its magic in the sky, sending streaks of red, orange, pink, and purple overhead, Mina looked into Darien's eyes and lightly pushed him backwards, catching him off guard as he tumbled onto his back, taking her with him.

He had smiled amusedly then, but now as he thought about it sitting in front of his fireplace in his bedroom, a bitter smile curved his firm soft lips. They had started rolling down the hillside, their bodies rising and falling, each alternating top and bottom, both revolving, and laughing with joy until they came to an abrupt end at the bottom of the slope. He was unable to contain his happiness with her. She looked so pretty and childish as she looked into his eyes. He couldn't help it when his lips came down on hers, a tender and passionate kiss that carried on for a few minutes.

"You just gave me the best kiss I ever had," she had said. He remembered his disappointment when he learned he was not her first. Now he realized he would not be her last either.

"Oh?" He had raised an eyebrow, his tone flat with distaste, "And who is runner up?"

"Yamashita, Momiji," She had informed him with a bright smile, "and third is Sagara, Kaito," she went on with her list.

Darien's frown had continued to darken with every male name that came from her lips. Indeed Mina was very pretty, and of course there would be a lot of men in Tokyo who would want Mina, but he hadn't expected so many. She always seemed so…naïve.

"Darien…" Mina had whispered softly to him as he laid sprawled beside her on the cool grass, looking up into the darkening sky. His head turned to her, as he raised himself on one elbow to look at her.

"Will you be my boyfriend? We've been friends for the longest time, and maybe you haven't considered it but I think I would like to take a step forward from where we are," She had explained to him, a look of determination in her eyes, a flare of confidence in her features.

And he fell right for the trap.

His answer and the promise of a deeper relationship were sealed in his next kiss, his mouth silencing anything else that she would have said. And when they parted both were both panting. Mina's face looked as though she had just won something that she had set out to win.

And he was the prize.

He didn't know why he didn't see it then. Of course she loved him, but did she love him the way she should have loved him? Did she love him more than just the type of love one would give their elder brother? No, she had thought she was ready to move on, but in reality, as he reflected back into his memory, damn, she was only fifteen and on the verge of sixteen!

"Will we be together, for a long, long time?" Mina asked innocently as she looked into his eyes, his hand lying leisurely across her waist as they both were propped up on one elbow to face one another.

"As long as you like, babe," he had said coolly.

And as the years progressed their relationship was built upon their love. A relationship that lasted as long as it did only due to the wild love making, he thought. It was not true though, he _really_ did fall in love with her; at least he thought he did.

At her high school graduation party at the Chiba's mansion, both of them had snuck away to his room. And in bed, she had said the most shattering things to him

_"I love you…"_ she had whispered as they laid together on his bed; both lacked the energy to draw the covers over their naked, sweaty bodies. She had been eighteen then.

_"You better,"_ he remembered him saying as he turned his sweat beaded head to look at her.

_"Will you marry me some day Darien?"_

_"Anything,"_ he had said as he began to kiss her cheek, her nose, her forehead…

_"I'd do anything for you, anything, we'll be so happy together," _She had promised as he groaned and gave in to kissing her mouth, which lead to another session of wild demanding love making.

'Love making?' Darien thought bitterly as he poked the dying fire in front of him with the poker. 'It was _screwing_, _fucking, hot sex_; not love making.'

That night she had promised him a future. Something that he held onto and looked forward to. Darien reached into his night stand at the side of his bed and took out a small black velvet box. He ran his fingers slowly over the material, slowly opening it.

Inside, sat a medium sized diamond engagement ring, which was exquisitely cut.

Walking to his bed, Darien closed the box and chucked it over his shoulders into the fire. What he didn't know, was that the box had opened as it hit the floor inside of the fireplace, and the ring flew out into a corner of the room, while the box burned into ashes.

Darien dreamt of a pretty-face blonde with crystal sapphire eyes named Serena that night.

"So…" Mina drawled as she yawned and moved closer to Serena, lying on her bed, "Do you have a job?"

"Uh huh," Serena answered, squinting into the dark bedroom, turning her body on the mattress to look at Mina, "I have two; one is as a waitress/cashier at _Cup of Tea_ and one as a baker and cashier at _Sweet Dreams Bakery_. I'm still deciding on a third."

"What? Are you crazy?" Mina exclaimed as she looked into Serena's face in the dark. "You have two jobs, which are already considered as insane in my mind, going for a third would make you seem…"

"I need the money," Serena's voice was serious, filled with determination that Mina had never heard come from anybody but Darien before. In the past hour that Serena had been in her home, she had been great company. She was nice to the servants, pleasant with her parents, and a wonderful listener to her. Serena had patience and diplomacy that was born into nobility and a regal-like aura that high class woman lacked these days. Mina was awed by her sense of responsibility for everything, although she appeared to be an easy-going, carefree child on the outside, Serena was a complex adult on the inside.

"Oh," was all Mina managed to say.

"Minako…"

"Mina."

"Huh?" Serena asked.

"Call me Mina, I think I've found no flaw in you," Mina admitted.

"Oh," Serena said uncertainly, "Mina, how long have you known Darien and the guys?" Serena couldn't help asking. She had been so curious ever since Mina entered the picture again, but her questions were forgotten once they got onto the jet. Mina was beautiful, smart, and classy, and the way she presented herself when they met on the airstrip could only mean she had a lot of confidence that grew stronger with her from the age of one possibly. And because of that, Mina thought she could do anything, intimidate anyone.

And that was why she had been so surprised by Serena.

"I've known them for ever," Mina giggled, "actually; I first met Darien about fifteen years ago when I was in his class in elementary. It was in a private school for the countries elite family's children. We shared art together, you know, as a combination class. One day, we were partnered together," a soft smile formed on Mina's face in remembrance, "in a painting assignment. We were supposed to paint one another with our water colors. I never talked to Darien before that day, you know? He was quiet, almost came off as shy to me. He took things very seriously back then too, you know? Even though he was only seven then, he still aimed to achieve nothing else but the best remarks. I guess that was how he was brought up in his family though. Darien didn't have many friends because of that though," Mina informed Serena.

"What about the guys?" Serena asked, feeling a tad bit bad that she couldn't have been there for Darien.

"Oh, they've been his friends since they were in diapers, don't worry," Mina chuckled. "Don't get me wrong, everyone tried their best to make Darien like _them_, but he always seemed to look as though he didn't want companionship from anybody. I don't blame him you know?" Mina said; her eyes were glazed over as she looked up at the ceiling, her hands behind her head.

"Why's that?" Serena asked in a breathless voice.

"Darien comes from a long line of successful people dating back to the very beginning of the time when Japan was united under the first emperor. Now, I can't remember but, I believe that it is said that Darien's forefathers come form a very powerful Samurai who became a shogun. So anyways, seven year old Darien was already on a mission to make a name for himself in his family. I don't know if you understand, but when you come from a family like Darien's, you don't fool around. Duty, responsibility, everything that comes with the name 'Chiba' has been hanging over him like some kind of burden. I think…I think that's why he's always so withdrawn from everyone you know?"

Serena nodded, she couldn't speak. In her head she saw a little seven year old boy with dark unruly hair, amazing blue eyes, and a handsome grin sitting all alone studying while everyone else played tag outside. She felt a jolt of pain in her chest, a tightening in her breasts' that made her heart feel as though it would burst. This was Darien's past, his childhood, and it seemed so lonely and so desolate. Did he have time for laughter, for fun, for things that would make him happy? Serena wanted to know everything about him.

"Well anyways, that day I came right out and asked him," Mina continued.

"Excuse me?"

"I asked him how come he didn't play with everyone else. I know that was probably pretty blunt, but I just turned six then, excuse me for not being able to be more tactful." Mina giggled.

(Serena didn't know why she was laughing.)

"He just looked at me with this stunned expression on his face. Then he said that he didn't feel like playing; I think that's what he said, I can't remember too well," Mina continued to chuckle.

"Well and then I asked him if it's because he thinks he's better than everyone else," Serena's eyes widened and Mina laughed, "And get this! He laughed!"

"Darien just started laughing, which wasn't at all natural for someone like him. The teacher came rushing right over to ask what I did to him, she looked so scared!" Mina broke off into hysterical laughter.

Serena really couldn't see what was so funny. To be a kid of seven and to have your teacher worry over you when you…_laughed?_ She could understand why Darien could be so cold and hard one moment, and playful in the next now. How anyone can have a childhood like that, she didn't know. One day, Serena really hoped she could help Darien to relax. He had missed his time for fun as a kid, and she was more than willing to help him get it back. That was her mission.

"After the teacher went away, Darien started talking to me. He seemed like a nice boy, and soon I met the whole gang. There isn't much to it than that," Mina concluded after her fit of laughter subsided.

"A-and you and Darien?" Serena asked uncertainly; not knowing if she was treading on dangerous grounds.

"Huh? What about me and Darien?" Mina asked, sounding a bit confused as she turned towards Serena.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I-I just got the impression that you two were…an item or something," Serena broke into a fit of nervous laughter.

Her mother had always said: When in doubt, laugh!

"Oh! Yeah, we were going out for sometime; three years before I went abroad. It wasn't anything really; puppy love can be so wonderful, but that's all it could be though, puppy love."

"Oh," Serena said off-handedly. For some reason, she felt as though Darien probably felt different about that though.

"A-and, what about when you left?" Serena prodded.

"Ahhh, yes, when I left we decided to stay together…it wasn't official or anything," Mina added, kind of as an after thought.

"I see…" Serena said, not really _seeing_ at all what Mina was talking about.

"And now…?" Serena questioned.

"Oh, we're over now!" Mina answered.

"Hey girl, what about you and Andrew?" Mina asked; her full attention on Serena now.

"Wh-what a-about us?" Serena stammered, shocked at Mina's change of subject.

How did she know, Serena asked herself.

"Girl, puh-lease, that man could not pull his eyes off of you tonight!" Mina exclaimed, "So…" She drawled, "What's the deal?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I said there's nothing between us now would you?" Serena asked a hint of sarcasm in her voice.

"Nope," Mina cheerfully confirmed.

Letting out a sigh, Serena began to put together the story of Andrew and herself from the time he had first walked into the bakery, 'til their last meeting just hours ago. He was such a sweet guy from beginning to end but he LIED to her! Shaking her head Serena began to tell Mina what happened.

"I met Andrew while I was working at _Sweet Dreams Bakery_ one day, way before I met Darien," Serena began, Mina was listening intently, "He wasn't millionaire industrialist Furuhata, Motoki's son though. No, he claimed to be an orphan raised by his grandfather who was a poor farmer. He said his name was Hiko, Andrew," Mina's eyes widened in disbelief.

"He didn't!" She gasped.

Serena nodded, "Yep, he did. Anyways, he came in and wanted to buy a cake for his _sister_, or so he said, but now I know he doesn't even have a sibling! Well, I had just finished making an angel cake. It was filled with strawberries, covered with icing, and topped with whip cream and strawberries. He saw me finishing it up and decided to buy it. He started flirting with me as I started putting it in a box for him, and being such a gullible fool as I was, I fell for his smooth charms."

"No way!" Mina beamed at her.

"Yep. I was stupid, huh?" Serena asked.

"No! I mean, Andrew had bought _me_ that cake on Darien's orders and my parent's brought it to me when they came to visit on my birthday! It was one hell of a cake! You should teach me how to make it!" Mina exclaimed.

Serena blushed, "Oh, uh, yeah, I would like to teach you."

"Okay, okay, continue with your story," Mina said, she became serious again.

"Oh, um, he started coming every Saturday, Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday to the bakery; the same days I worked. And he kept buying so many pastries I even offered to let him have some for free! He said he was trying to earn money to go to a university, when in reality he was making other people drop out of school! I offered to pay for him when he was a rich bastard!" Serena was near hysteria.

"Calm down, so it seems as though Andrew has an infatuation with you," Mina drawled in a cool and unperturbed voice.

"Calm down! You want me to calm down? I believed him! I started waiting for him around noon because that was the usual time he would show up at the bakery, and do you know how disappointed I was when he stopped coming for a month? I thought I had finally found someone of the opposite sex who could appreciate me. I decided to hate him, you know, when I saw him and the rest of the guys beat up a student at Akita in the hallway on my second day there. You couldn't believe how shocked I was to have seen him! That asshole!" Serena seethed through clenched teeth.

"Whoa…" Mina breathed out, stunned by her outburst. "I can see where you're coming from Serena, but it's not good to hold grudges."

"I'm not holding a grudge," Serena hissed.

"Okay, well I think it'd be _best_ if you two became friends for everybody's sakes, okay?" Mina advised.

"Whatever," Serena sighed, snuggling into her pillow.

"I'm serious," Mina said, "I think if you treat Andrew politely instead of with contempt, he will see that you no longer hold any kind of emotion for him other than a kind of friendship."

Serena smiled, "Now _that's_ and idea."

"Thank you," Mina replied.

Both laughed.

In the late afternoon, long since she had been dropped off back at the apartment at eleven in the morning, Serena rode on her bicycle in the hot sun to the Chiba's mansion. In the basket in the front of her bike was a box, and within it was Darien's birthday present, three strawberries dipped in milk chocolate. She had grown the strawberries herself; they were her pride. The strawberries were big, juicy, and as sweet as ever; they were so big that she was able to scrawl with white chocolate tiny words. On the first one, it read: _To my arrogant, vain, and selfish rich friend_. On the second one, it read: _It was damned hard putting words on here so you'd better be grateful_. And lastly, the third one read: _From_ _your reluctant, yet dear, friend Serena._

Serena hoped Darien would like her gift. She had to admit that it wasn't much, but wasn't it the thought that count? Anyways, how could her gift compare to a jet; how could anyone's gift compare to a jet, Serena thought. Nothing else except Darien's own island, Serena chuckled to herself. She lifted her arm to wipe away the sweat that had appeared over her forehead as she continued on her journey. Mina's words to her had stuck in her head all morning like a dark cloud foreshadowing rain. And Serena had decided to try everything possible to make Darien lighten up. It was better to enjoy what life had to offer with friends, than to enjoy them all alone; not that Darien was alone of course. He just seems withdrawn no matter how hard he tried to keep himself surrounded with friends. She felt kind of powerless in this matter though, because she didn't know how she could help him. He probably didn't even want her help, Serena thought.

"Dear, what was it that you wanted to discuss? Oh! And who was that charming young lady last night? Who are her mother and father?" Mina's mother inquired with a curious, but thoughtful raise of her eyebrow.

After Mina had seen to dropping Serena at her _so called_ apartment, Mina had issued for Aeya to inform her parents that she would like to have a word with them in the study at two in the afternoon. Mina had dressed in a silk chamois collar shirt with a beige knee length skirt before she headed to the study. The walls of the room were covered with bookshelves filled with books of every subject and genre, very little could you see the white walls. There were six total oak desks and chairs, and in the very center of the room were two sofas and an armchair of white leather. A glass coffee table sat between the two sofas atop a fluffy white rug that lay over the dark wooden floors. Lively looking plants sat in corners of the study; there leaves as green and healthy as possible, and some flowered beautifully. It was a surprise due to the fact that the study only had one large window that allowed daylight into the room. Mina situated herself in the armchair just moments before she was joined by her parents.

"Mom, Dad," Mina said, looking at her mother and fathers curious faces, "I-I wanted to tell you b-both that I've decided to qu-quit school abroad," Mina closed her eyes, bracing herself to hear the angry words that she knew her parents would throw at her.

When it didn't come she opened her eyes to look at her parent's blank expressions.

"I hope you know that this would also mean I'm giving up the medical field-,"

"WHAT?" Mina shrunk in her chair as her mother and father realized the whole situation. Their faces were red with fury.

"Minako you are not quitting the medical field! Two years, sweetheart! That's all you have left, you don't have time to switch your major to business! Sweetie, I thought we already discussed that you would become a surgeon and take over the family business when you're older and have a family?" Her father tried to reason.

"But-,"

"No 'buts'," he cut in, "you were ecstatic about it all two years ago!"

Mina looked to her mom for some kind of support but was disappointed when she saw her mother nodding in agreement with her father.

"I was! I really did want to become a doctor. Things changed though," she gave a meaningful look to her parents, "the three years in Paris has opened my eyes to something that ­_really_ did ignite a passion in me! Fashion! I want to do fashion! It doesn't matter if I have to do two more years of school to be able to become a fashion designer; I'm willing to do it!" Mina pleaded.

"But, our plans, honey," Mina's mother, Takzuru Aino, said this time.

"I know, but can't we forget the plans? Please?" Mina looked at her parents, a pout on her lips.

"Now, sweetie, we can _not_ forget the plans! They're sound ones too!" Her father exclaimed. "Give up on becoming a designer, its risky business dear. You don't know if your stuff will sell, and if they don't you'd just lose a lot of money," Hiroshi, her father, said firmly.

Mina knew that she wouldn't be able to persuade her parents; she had to use the last resort. Mina gave her parents a determined glance before standing up. "You give me no choice," she whispered.

"No, no, Mina get up!" Her father shouted at her as he watched her kneel on the floor.

"I bow before you, beseeching you, pleading for you to let me take up designing as a career. Please…for my happiness," she said to them turning on the fake tears.

Her mother gave her father a look that made him frown. How come women were so weak hearted, he wondered. His wife had given in to his daughters little act. Hiroshi could never deny his wife. With a sigh of defeat he nodded his head.

"Fine," he croaked.

"Good, I'll be starting Monday at Akita! I just wanted to make you guys agree; no one could have stopped me, I already paid for my classes for the semester anyways," Mina explained cheerfully.

Her mother and father sighed with exasperation. Their daughter was too cunning.

"Well, gotta go Mom, Dad. I'll be over at Darien's; we're going for a BBQ at his place and a dip in the pool!" She chatted excitedly as she dashed out of the room. "I got to tell them the good news! Or…better yet…maybe I shouldn't!" They heard her exclaim as she ran down the hall.

Hiroshi and Takzuru Aino shook their head in disappointment at their daughters conduct.

Serena came to a stop at the tall black iron gates that enclosed the Chiba's property. She leaned over on her bike to press a buzzer that would alert security.

"Who is it? What is the purpose of your business here at the Chiba's estate?" A voice buzzed from the machine.

Serena leaned over and pressed and held down a button, "Um, this is Tsukino Serena. I'm here to speak with Darien," She said into the machine.

"Please wait Ms. Tsukino while we confirm your visit with the young master," the static-y voice informed her.

"Okay," she said into the machine.

Serena sat correctly upon her bike once more as she peered through the gates observing the driveway to the mansion while waiting. Beyond the gate were two columns of cherry-blossom tree's full in bloom and as pink as ever. The drive continued forward passed the trees until it came to the green and lush yard of the mansion, coming into a fork that led in a circle around a large fountain of man and a woman embracing one another.

Serena finally caught her breath as she looked at the way the trees swayed elegantly in the breeze. It had been a long ride to get here and it was steaming at this time of day. When she had left the house it was in the low nineties, now, after a mere half hour, it was probably in the hundreds. She never could tell why it seemed hotter in the late afternoon rather than in the early afternoon. She wiped the sweat off her face, her blonde hair that fell out of the two buns atop her head stuck to her neck and cheeks.

The gate suddenly lurched open.

Serena nearly fell over on her bike at the whoosh of the opening gates. It was good she had placed her gift over a ice pack that laid under a piece of cardboard, because by the time she had made it inside the mansion, the chocolate would have melted all over the wax paper she had set them on. Serena parked her bike at the bottom of the white stairs that lead up to the porch. She carefully took out Darien's gift from her basket before making her way to the door to ring the bell.

Kenji, the head butler, opened the door, "Hello Ms. Tsukino, Darien and the others are out by the-,"

"It's okay Kenji, you can go and continue your duties," Darien appeared down below in the receiving room. He was in nothing but swimming trunks. Serena stared at his chest. She couldn't help it; it was just so…masculine. His bronze skin gleamed in the sunlight that came from the windows, and his toned and muscled chest and arms made her shiver with something that she could not name. Serena examined the muscle from Darien's broad shoulders down to his lean and narrow waist as he continued to walk forward. He looked like the legendary Greek god, Eros, himself. Darien emanated a sensual and sexual power that captured her attention. He was fineness wrapped up in one male package.

"If you say so Young Master," Kenji said before walking down into the sunken receiving room and out of sight.

"I was gonna send someone to pick you up," Darien drawled teasing, "It seems that you must have read my mind."

"Well you should have sent someone earlier, cause then I wouldn't have ridden a half hour over here in the hot sun on my bike," Serena retorted, an irritated look on her face. Her hair was such a hindrance; it didn't even look as though it were in buns anymore. She reached up and let her hair fall down to her back.

Darien gawked at the sight before him. Serena's disoriented appearance was quickly forgotten to him as he watched her sun gold hair cascade down her back as she shook her head to get her hair out of her sweaty face. If it wasn't for her baggy clothes, she could possibly pass as pretty, he noted to himself. As her sapphire eyes stared into his, a soft smile curved her lips.

Serena walked down the stairs with her gift in her hands. This is it, she thought to herself. "I got you something," She said in a calm, serene voice although she was very nervous inside. Her hands shook slightly as she extended her hand to give him the gift; watching his expressions as a grin softened his features.

"You shouldn't have," Darien said, "but how could I refuse when you've already brought it?" He grabbed it out of her shaking hands. He noticed that tell-tale action; she was nervous about giving him her gift, he thought delightedly. She looked so sweet and so vulnerable the way she watched him as he began to open the box.

"What is it?" He asked right before he lifted the top of the box.

"Just open it, you dork," Serena answered impatiently, "Its not, its not m-much, s-so, don't get too ex-excited," Serena told him, as her heartbeat increased. She could hear it pounding in her ears as all patience left her. Serena never cared about other's opinion, but for some strange reason Darien's mattered to her. _She actually cared about what Darien thought._

Darien lifted up the top and stared in silence down at the three chocolate covered strawberries.

Serena waited for something. Anything; a frown, a smile, she looked for any sign of emotion on his face. But she couldn't see any. His face was emotionless as he pulled his gaze away from the gift to look at her. Darien's eyes were turning a deep blue; Serena didn't know what that meant though. Did he like it? She wasn't so sure.

And then…he smiled at her.

"How'd you know I love chocolate covered strawberries?" He asked in an astonished and grateful tone. His boyish and lazy grin made him look so very handsome to her.

"Let's just say it was my intuition," Serena replied, relief flooding through her as she gave him a radiant smile.

"What's this?" Darien asked, finally noticing the tiny, tiny scrawl on the strawberries. He raised an amused eyebrow at her and began to read.

Darien's burst of laughter echoed through the receiving room.

Kenji and some other servants ran to see what there young master was laughing at. Never in their time of working for the Chiba family had they heard such genuine laughter come from him. Darien waved them away as he turned back the Serena. Kenji smiled, knowingly. The girl was good for him, he concluded. And with a new bounce in his step, Kenji continued on with his duties.

"I'm _arrogant, vain_**and**_ selfish_?" Darien laughed. "You're reluctant, huh?" He raised a brow at her and chuckled as Serena mumbled 'You bet I am!'

"Well, let's see if these taste as good as it looks," Darien said as he took one strawberry out and examined it, "Well it doesn't seem to be poisonous," he observed as Serena scowled at him.

"Just eat it you dope," Serena ordered.

"Alright, here goes," Darien took a bite out of the strawberry as Serena watched impatiently.

It was good, Darien thought, the best he had ever had. The strawberry alone tasted as though it was sugar coated, and with the effect of the chocolate, it all seemed to melt in his mouth. As he finished chewing he smiled at Serena's forlorn expression.

"So…" She prodded. "How was it?"

"It was…" he let himself prolong the silence, building up her suspense, "good."

"Good? That's it? It was good?" Serena nearly shouted.

"Yeah, did you expect me to say it was bad?" Darien asked; feeling a bit confused.

"No, but is that all you can say?" Serena shouted at him.

Baffled, Darien just drew his eyebrows together confused, "If there was anything wrong with it I would have told you," he answered.

"Eeerrr…." Serena growled, "Forget it."

Darien just stared blankly at her. 'Gee, what's up in her ass?' he wondered.

"Why were you gonna send someone to pick me up anyways," Serena changed the subject, trying to calm down.

Darien smiled now, "Oh, barbeque and pool outside. The guys are already out there with Mina."

"O-oh, um, I d-don't have a b-bathing suit with me," Serena stammered, flushing.

"That's okay, Rei has tons. You can borrow one of hers," Darien said, undeterred.

"B-but, I-I d-don't want to use one o-of h-hers," She stuttered, blushing.

"It's okay. She has some that she never used before. You can keep it if you want," Darien informed her. He grabbed her hand with his free one and dragged her down the hall, up the grand staircase, and up to the second floor.

"Here we are," He said as they came down to a door at the end of a hall.

Darien led them inside of the room. Serena's eyes grew large at how red the room was. The armchair and couch in the room were red velvet. The comforter of the bed was of Chinese style; it was of red and gold dragons. On the walls hung large red fans depicting samurais, and the two windows were covered by red curtains. Rei must have _really_ loved red Serena thought as Darien walked over to a black dresser against a wall and began to rummage through a drawer.

"Here," Darien said as he pulled out a pink bikini, "Rei got this as a present. She doesn't like pink, so she never wears it."

"A-a-a bikini?" Serena stammered, blushing. "Doesn't she h-have a one piece?"

"No she doesn't," Darien informed her, "Don't worry, we won't laugh. Just put it on, I'm going to my room to put the strawberries away. I'll be waiting at the bottom of the stairs okay?"

Serena could only nod as Darien walked out of the room. _Laugh_, Serena thought, the guys are more likely to _gape_ than laugh. Serena picked up the tiny bikini top that Darien had placed on the bed. Would this even be able to hold her breasts', Serena wondered to herself mortified. Quietly she complied and slipped her clothes off.

"Oh well," Serena sighed, "Looks like I've blown my cover."

Darien waited patiently for five minutes at the bottom of the stairs, his patience wearing thin. She was just putting on a bathing suit damn it, Darien thought vehemently, how long does it take to put it on? After a few more minutes Darien decided her time was up. Darien was just about ready to climb up the stairs.

But then he stood stock still.

Coming down towards him in a light pink bikini was Serena. But not the charming, innocent, childish, naïve girl that he had become accustomed to seeing. In a transformation that unnerved and entranced him, the breathtaking young woman descending towards him was more stunningly beautiful than Mina herself! Her hair was parted in the center, falling like shimmering gold down her front, and ending at her waist in thick curls.

The V neck of her bikini top accentuated her full breasts. His gaze traveled down her flat and toned stomach and down to the tiny bottom piece that clung to her graceful hips. Her long shapely legs were cream colored and appeared to be smooth as silk. Darien wasn't sure if it was possible to get a hard-on by just looking at someone, but he sure felt a tightening in his loins.

And then, she just had to trip on the last step.

Flinging her arms out to clasp around Darien's neck to stop herself from falling, she paid no heed to the way her breasts were pushed up against his chest. Serena just blushed as she looked up into Darien's face.

Darien noticed though. He could feel her nipples pressing through the think material of her bathing suit. He could feel every inch of her ample, silky breasts, and he felt like groaning, but refrained. Was this what she had been hiding, he wondered in amazement. He didn't understand how she could have such a volatile effect on him. First the kiss had left him wanting her, and that was just a kiss! Darien thought darkly to himself. And now, with her body pressed up against his like this, he sure as hell wanted to start kissing her all over again.

Pushing down his raging conflict, he forced himself to portray no emotion as he looked down into her wide eyes. Again, the way she was looking at him was making him think that she was only a little girl. But still the electric shock of her skin to his was having crazy effects on him. Her lips were parted and lush, just begging him for one kiss, one ravenous touch that could send them to cloud nine.

Darien took her hands away from his neck and pushed her away instead and smiled.

"Klutz," He chuckled.

Serena fumed, "Why you…you rich snob!"

"Come on you," Darien said as he grabbed her wrist and dragged her through the house and out towards the pull.

"Thank you," Darien quietly said as they walked along a paved pathway to their destination.

"For what?" Serena asked.

"For the strawberries," Darien replied as he looked down at her.

"Oh, no problem. I grew the strawberries myself. They're my babies!" She said with pride and chuckled.

"No wonder why they taste so sweet; it's because you grew them," He said good-naturedly, and smiled down at her.

Serena blushed, he was complimenting her. Darien could be so sweet, yet so clueless at times. She wanted to know all of the sides of Darien though. If it should take her a lifetime to learn all of his secrets and become his confidence as a friend then, that was a lifetime worth living, she thought. Serena nearly tripped over a rock on the sidewalk, stumbling slightly into Darien's back. Darien turned to give her a knowing look before continuing to drag her past a hedge to the pool. A pink tint appeared on Serena's cheek.

"Hey Darien, who's that?" James yelled as he got out of the pool.

"No way!" He exclaimed as he stared at Serena. "No fucking way!"

Serena slapped him, "Har, har, very funny," Serena said sarcastically, as she watched James rub his cheek. "_Yes_, fucking way."

Darien chuckled.

"Serena?" Andrew came over next, a stunned expression on his face.

"Andrew?" Serena mimicked his astounded tone of voice.

"Very cute suit Serena!" Mina exclaimed as she pushed Andrew and James back.

Serena blushed as her friend, clad in an orange bikini, grabbed her hand and dragged her away from Darien. "Oh, it isn't mine," she informed Mina, "its Rei's."

"Should've known, no offense though, you were so modest about your body the other night." Mina continued to chat merrily.

"No offense taken," Serena replied.

"Hey, let's take a dip in the pool. It's like heaven once you get in; the water is so cool," Mina told her.

Serena only nodded, and slipped out of her pink sandals and left them by a lounge chair. Serena turned to look at the large kidney shape pool. On the other end was an artificial landscape of a waterfall. From the side of the large rocks was a waterslide that was built in, into the rocky setting. The cerulean water glowed in the sunlight, shifting ever so slightly as the guys swam in the pool. Slowly Serena made her way to the stairs and took her time adjusting to the water temperature. The shallow end of the pool was only waist high for Serena, at the other end of the pull though, Serena couldn't even touch the bottom.

"A natural swimmer, I see," Malcom drawled as he came up behind her.

"Swimming is second nature to walking for me," Serena said as she turned in the water to look at him.

Malcom smiled, "And to think I thought that crawling was second nature to all humans."

Serena laughed, as she splashed water at him.

"Water fight!" Zachary shouted as started splashing water at Serena and Malcom.

The afternoon drifted into night as Serena, Mina, and the guys sat out under the starlit sky, eating steaks and barbequed chicken. Darien never enjoyed an afternoon as much as he enjoyed this one. Serena had made it so fun filled for him as he watched her. She was adorable…and completely sexy. He remembered the countless time he watched her get out of the pool with water sliding off her sleek body, and they way her hips would sway from side to side as she walked to get a towel. There surely was more to Serena than what he had assumed.

She was childlike in a sort of way that appealed to him; angelic and naïve. She was tough and witty, which made him respect and genuinely like her. Serena was considerate and understanding, and now, she also had the body of a goddess. Darien couldn't tell what his attraction to her meant, but he was determined to keep her at a distance. In only a few days she had already gain his friendship and trust. He would make sure she wouldn't gain anything else.

Serena appeared in the receiving room fully clothed in her own clothes once again. Everyone was ready to call it a day and go home. It was almost nine, and she remembered she still had her essay to do for Prof. Shimbo. With a defeated sigh, the reality of the world was going to crash down on her once they go back to school on Monday. Her footsteps were heavy as she walked towards the group of friends at the door.

"Serena can't go home alone, she needs someone to take her," she heard Darien say, and her head snapped up to stare at him.

"I'll take you home Serena," Mina said ecstatically.

"Um…I came on my bike…."

"I'll take you then. I'll drive the truck," Darien said.

"Thanks," Serena said gratefully, "I also brought Rei's jeans and your shirt. I washed it and placed it in Rei's room."

"I have your clothes in my room, I'll send someone to go and get it," Darien turned to find a maid but paused in mid-step. "You know what; I think I should just do it." Darien said as he pulled back from the group and disappeared down the hall.

"What's with the outfit Serena?" Mina asked; her eyebrow rose in curiosity.

Serena had forgotten that Mina never saw the way she dressed before. The other night she had worn Darien's and Rei's clothing. "What?" Serena asked innocently, "Is there something wrong?"

"Don't you wear clothes that _fit _you?" Mina asked as she placed her hands on her hips covered in a jean skirt; she wore an orange tank-top.

Serena laughed, "That's what Darien asked me!"

The guys just stared at the two girls with slight skepticism.

"So, Mina," Malcom asked casually, "When are you going back to Paris?"

"Not for a _long_ while," Mina emphasized 'long'.

"Damn, we were hoping you would say 'soon'," James said sardonically, with a slight twinkle in his eyes as he gave Serena a smile.

"Don't make me kick your ass," Mina warned the offending blond.

"I'm not scared of you, woman! I'm a man!" James boasted as he puffed out his chest.

"Fuck!" James shouted as Serena's fist came into contact with his chin. "What the hell was that for?"

Nathan laughed as he looked at the smug expression on Serena's face, "Seems as though she was testing your, uh, _manliness_."

The guy's laughed as James scowled. "You punch like a freakin' guy," he said to Serena.

"Why, thank you."

"That's not a compliment," Andrew told her.

"What? It isn't?" Serena asked with a puzzled look.

"Uh, uh," Andrew answered as he shook his head, "Guy's don't _really_ go for girls who can punch harder than they could; girl's who can, are scary and most of the time unappealing anyways." (AN: That is not true, I think.)

"She can't punch harder than me!" James shouted.

"You've yet to prove it," Zachary laughed.

"Unappealing!" Serena shouted as she punched James on the arm.

"Oww! Would you stop that!" James exclaimed.

Darien came back into the room at that moment, "Stop what?"

Serena, Mina, and the guys (except Andrew) laughed.

"I'll probably have a bruise on my face _and_ on my arm," James said as he continued to rub his injury.

"Ahhh, I see," Darien said with a gleam in his eyes, "You shouldn't try to upset Serena. She can be pretty feisty— you know its true Serena," Serena had begun to glare at him.

After everyone said their good-byes and departed, Darien loaded Serena's bike onto the back of a black truck, and he drove her home. Serena had decided to keep the conversation between them light and casual; no heavy stuff that could possibly bring tension between them. She figured that's what Darien needed, and she wanted to take his mind off of the frustrating things in his life.

Serena smiled as she turned her head to look at him and said, "So Darien, can I ask you a few questions?"

Darien gave her a sideways glance to see what she was up to and then nodded. It was a lot easier to be with her when she was fully clothed, he thought.

"What is your favorite color, and why?"

Darien thought that she probably wanted to ask about something serious and was slightly deterred in answering, "I don't have a favorite color; I have two," he informed her, "One is blue, the other is red; I would say black, but it isn't considered a color now is it? I think I like blue and red because they are both intense colors that represent a great number of things including emotions: passion, sorrow, death, and more."

"Wow," Serena said, intrigued by Darien's explanation, "I like pink because to me it represents gentleness, love, and a sense of femininity."

Darien smiled, but did not turn his attention from the road to look at her, "Pink suits you."

Serena laughed, "So it seems…"

"What are you majoring in, and why?" Serena asked, making mental notes in her head.

"I have dual major for my undergraduate degree—economics and finance. I'm currently getting my master's degree in business administration," Darien said tonelessly.

"Master's? You can get a master's degree at Akita? But you've only just turned twenty-three!" Serena exclaimed.

"Now, now, let me finish answering your question. If you want to know, you can ask those questions next," Darien said in a lordly voice that made Serena frown at him.

"I chose to do a dual major in economics and finance and I also chose to get my master's in business administration because it is expected of me to take over my families operations. I will become an industrialist and corporate raider and continue to expand my family's business and surpass all of my predecessors own achievements," Darien informed her; his voice taking on a hard edge. Serena got the impression that Darien had some serious issues about his family and their business; however, she knew the conversation would no longer be as light and casual as she had planned it to be if she asked him about it.

"Striving to be the best I see. I'm taking classes in child psychology and I really like the subject. I think I may head into a career with children maybe, I love children," Serena changed the subject, "Okay here's my next question, how is it that you are going to be getting your master's degree this year when you're only twenty-three?"

"Does age really matter?" Darien asked; a boyish grin curved his lips.

"Yes it matters! Now I'd appreciate it if you would not answer my question with a question," Serena told him; a trace of irritation in her voice.

"I was able to graduate highschool at seventeen. Then I went to Akita and was able to get my bachelors degree by twenty, and I continued my studies at Akita for my master's, which I hope to receive by the end of the next two semesters."

"Wow," was all Serena had managed to say. Mina's words came back to her, "_At a young age Darien was already trained to be prepared to take over the family business._" She had said something like that, and Darien now just confirmed it. Again Serena couldn't help but feel that she wanted to be the one to relieve him of his burden.

"So does that mean you're a smart ass?" Serena asked teasingly; still trying to stick with her plan.

"Ha, ha, how did you know," Darien said flatly as he gave her a big smile.

"Oh, shut up," Serena replied.

"Hey you started it," Darien laughed.

Serena stuck out her tongue at him in a childish taunting way and Darien continued to laugh. Serena could make him feel so light-hearted. Her childish and angelic ways was cleansing to him. He couldn't even remember a time when Mina had made him laugh this much in only a few minutes. Serena and her witty comments seemed to ease his thoughts and lighten his mood. He knew she would prove to be a good friend.

"Oh, this is it," Serena said as she peered out of the window to look at the dark apartment building.

Darien parked the car on the side of the street and got out of the car. He walked around to the back of the truck to pull out Serena's bike. The night was warm, and the sky was clear. The stars and moon were clearly visible and the atmosphere seemed cheery and inviting. But Darien was certain he only felt the way he did because of Serena.

"Oh, you didn't have to get my bike for me," Serena said as Darien rolled the bike to her.

Darien looked at the apartment building as Serena locked up her bike on a rack. The building was crummy; not suitable for _anyone_ to be living in, Darien thought as he looked at the crevices on the surface of the apartment and the graffiti. The stairs looked weak; its wooden planks looked as though it had been eaten through by termites. Damn, how she could live in such a shabby, dirty, seedy place like this, Darien would never know or understand.

"I'm going up now," Serena said as she finished locking up her bike.

"You mean you have to go up the stairs?" Darien asked aghast that she had to do so.

"You don't have to look down your nose at it you know," Serena said haughtily. "I do live here."

"I'm walking you up," Darien said tightly.

"Its okay, you can go ahead," Serena said, shaking her head at his offer.

"I wasn't asking you, I'm telling you: I'm walking you up." Darien's voice was authoritative. His features were hard and unpersuasive.

With a defeated sigh Serena said, "Suit yourself," and turned and walked up the stairs.

Darien followed closely behind her, carefully testing out each step before stepping on it while Serena stomped her way up two at a time. Serena lived on the very top floor, the fourth story, which also was the smallest apartment of all. Coming to a stop at the door Serena turned towards Darien.

"Thank you," she whispered quietly as she looked down at her feet.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't sure if you were thanking me or your toes," Darien said sarcastically.

Serena lifted her gaze to his and smiled, "Thank you," she said again.

"What for?" Darien asked; his voice a soft bur as he stared into her entrancing eyes.

"For the dinner, for the ride home, for taking your time walking me up here," Serena said earnestly, her voice shaking with emotion.

"You're welcome princess," he said, caught up in the magical moment.

His head descended towards hers. And in an instant that took for one to make a decision; Darien's original plan of giving her a kiss on the lips turned to an affectionate kiss on her cheek.

"Goodnight," Darien said as he pulled away and started down the stairs again.

"Goodnight," Serena whispered even though she knew Darien would not be able to hear her. Her body still shivering from the warmth of his body being so close.

And then she unlocked the door to the apartment, and stepped inside.

"Here you go Professor," Serena said as she walked in on Monday morning at 8:25, handing Professor Shimbo her project before taking a seat in the front row of the classroom.

Serena had just put the finishing touches to her paper that morning. After Darien had dropped her off on Saturday night, Serena had thrown herself into her essay, graphs, charts, and example pictures on the brain. She even called in to the bakery to take off work because she had to finish it. Fortunately for her, no one disturbed her for the whole of Sunday. It was rainy that day too, which was quite a drastic change in weather after such a hot day as Saturday.

From time to time she drifted off into her own world, looking out into the gloomy sky outside as she thought of words to write in her project Sunday afternoon. Today was no different either though. The sky was dark and cloudy; lingering low amongst the skyscrapers in the city. Everyone was just waiting for the cloud to let down rain. To make things worst, it was windy and cold; Serena wouldn't have been surprised if it started hailing. But still, school continued.

Serena paid attention as any studious student would while Professor Shimbo broke into one of his long lectures on the mind of a child and how it worked differently than adults. She jot down notes when needed, raised her hand to answer questions that were asked, and asked questions when confused; she did everything she could possibly do to avoid getting into trouble. And her work paid off. The class was dismissed at 9:30, and Serena hurried to her next class.

Walking swiftly down the stairs to the first floor of the building, Serena was busying herself in taking out her notebook for her math class when she bumped into someone. Serena's open backpack fell to the floor; her books and notebooks flew out in all directions.

"I am _so_ sorry," Serena heard a familiar feminine voice say as she bent down to pick up her items.

"No, I wasn't looking. I'm sorry," She said as she looked up. "MINA?"

"Wow, I sure bumped into you early," Mina muttered as she too bent down to pick up her stuff. "I mean literally, who'd a thought?" She chuckled.

"What are you doing here?" Serena asked; completely shocked.

"I attend Akita now!" Mina answered happily, handing her a notebook.

"You attend Akita now?" Serena repeated as though she couldn't comprehend what Mina had just said.

"Yep! Isn't it great?" Mina seemed extremely hyper. (Four cups of coffee sure does make a person feel awake, Mina thought.)

"W-what about Paris?" Serena managed to stammer.

"Oh I quit!" Mina exclaimed! "Ooh, gotta go girl. I'm going to be late for my first class. I'll talk to you later," Mina said as she stuffed her last book into her backpack and placed a quick kiss on Serena's cheek before dashing up the stairs.

Mina sure was full of surprises, Serena thought as she carefully organized everything back into her bag before walking to her ten o' clock class. Like she said, "_I'm all about making an entrance and exit." _This _certainly_ was another great entrance for her, Serena thought. Serena noticed students staring at her. Their unnerving gazes followed her all the way down the stairs. 'Gosh, what was up with people these days?' Serena thought.

Finding a table in the university's cafeteria, Serena took out her lunch and a book. All around her students chatted merrily about their weekends as some would walk by to find a place to sit. The day had been pretty good so far; after lunch she had Professor Yamashita for her foreign language course, English, which was her least favorite subject. Taking a bite out of her rice ball Serena lost herself in her romance novel.

_"Thank you," She said simply._

_"You're welcome," he replied, his voice strangely husky to his own ears He held out his hand to her, then had to fight down a wave of desire when she misunderstood his invitation to sit down beside him, and instead moved between his legs so she could sit with her back against his chest and watch the fire. Desire was followed by exquisite delight a moment later when she softy confessed, "This is the nicest night I ever had, Matt."_

_He slide his arm around her waist from behind, his fingers splaying protectively across her flat stomach, and tried not to sound as touched as he felt. With his free hand he brushed her hair aside and kissed her nape._

_"What about last night?"_

_She bent her head forward, offering him better access, and promptly amended, "This is the _second_ nicest night I ever had."_

Serena looked up from her book _Paradise_ by Judith Mcnaught. The touching moment of the story was ruined by a sudden silence that fell over the cafeteria and then a burst of whispering that came from all over the room. Serena closed her book to stare at the gazes of _everyone_ in the room directed towards her…or rather behind her. They were all pointed and talking behind raised hands. Too bad they didn't know she could hear them, she thought. She could hear little snippets like "…what do you think she did…", "…look over there, at her, you know the poor girl…", and then she understood, "…I wonder why Chiba is standing behind her like that…"

Serena gulped. She had totally forgotten about him; about all of them. No wonder why people were staring at her when she and Mina bumped into each other! How could she be so clueless? Who else could draw the attention of every person when they walked into the room other than Darien himself, she thought. Feeling mortified, Serena sunk into her chair; opening her book as she tried to hide her beet-red face in it.

The hushed whispering did not stop.

Darien could see when he wasn't wanted, Serena thought as she shrunk lower into her seat. Or…not…she added quietly to herself as she turned her head to look behind her to see his firm stance. His expression showed of amusement as his lean, powerful figured towered over her.

He smiled when she finally looked up at him. Her cheeks were red, and she looked impish. Gosh, he felt like laughing! From the moment he entered the room he had known it was her sitting back here. He knew she was aware that he was behind her, and still she refused to look. Instead she had shrunk in her chair, choosing to ignore him. He would have to teach her to accept the fact that they were friends now and he would not be easily swayed.

Darien watched as Serena turned her head sharply once again towards her book, choosing to go with her plan to ignore him. Chuckling he sat down in a chair beside her.

"Remember me?" Darien said, loud enough for everyone to hear. The cafeteria grew silent except for the familiar voices of five men ordering at the lunch line.

Serena didn't answer him; she continued to pretend to be interested in her book.

"Awww, you don't remember?"

Again no answer from Serena.

"Don't you remember? We met this weekend," Darien said as their audience strained to hear what he was saying.

"You came over to my house twice this weekend," Darien drawled, enjoying the way she blushed even harder when people began to whisper.

"Hello?" Darien said as he waved a hand in front of her.

"You listening?" He asked.

"Hey….hey…hey…hello..." Darien continued to irritate her, poking at her head, prodding at her shoulders.

"How can you forget the hot sex we had—,"

"WHAT!" Serena shoved back from her chair with a force that made the legs screeched across the floor as she stood up.

The cafeteria was in an uproar at Darien's comment.

"What the heck are you trying to pull?" Serena shouted furiously at Darien, who gave her a sheepish grin.

"_Now_ you're talking to me?" He stated more than asked; raising an amused eyebrow.

"You just told the whole school I _slept_ with you!" She screeched, pointing an accusing finger at him.

"I only told everyone in the cafeteria," Darien pointed out, a grin plastered on his handsome face.

"And by the time I get to my next class the _whole_ university will have heard!" Serena countered.

"What does it matter anyways?" Darien asked coolly, "It's not like we did screw each other."

"It wouldn't matter to _you_, but it matters to me! It's _my_ reputation, not yours! It's my name that will be brought down even lower, not yours! It's me who has to spend three more years here, not _you_!" Serena shouted angrily.

Serena watched as Darien clenched his jaw. A muscle moved spasmodically on his right cheek as he stared down at her face; her eyes a deep blue with anger. Darien looked dangerous; although he didn't show any outer emotions, she knew she had struck a nerve.

Darien stood up from his seat and looked at their audience; their mouths hanging open.

"Ms. Tsukino did not sleep with me this weekend. If I hear one slander against her name from any of you I will hunt you down and make sure you never speak about her in such a way again," Darien ordered, his voice a near growl.

Calming himself down Darien sat back down, "Satisfied?" He asked.

Serena was stunned speechless. Once again Darien protected her. Not in the same sense as when Mina had attempted to strike her, but he had protected her from the cruelty of having her insulted. Despite his mean scowl he wore on his face, Serena knew he really did care about how she felt…and she smiled. Serena nodded to his question.

"It's not okay to threaten people," Serena laughed as she took another bite from her rice ball while Darien watched her.

"How else would you have wanted me to stop them?" Darien asked teasingly.

"Well…I was thinking that if you'd stare at them the way you were staring at me one minute ago, you could probably beat them into submission with your terrifyingly scary glare," Serena said playfully.

Darien laughed; a loud husky sound that drew the attention of the students once more.

"How come _I_ didn't think of that?" Darien asked.

"That's because I'm the one with the brains, and _you're_ the one with the muscle," Serena replied, making Darien chuckle once more.

"That was quite a scene you two," James said as the rest of the guys joined them at Serena's table.

Serena groaned, "Can't you guys go _somewhere else_?" The cafeteria was buzzing again.

"Why Serena," Malcom feigned an offended tone, "And I was just beginning to think that you were nice."

"Oh shut up," Serena remarked.

"Make me," Malcom teased.

"Stop acting like a kid, Serena," Andrew said as he took a seat beside her.

"Well, you can go to hell too!" She exclaimed.

"Look," Darien's stern voice broke through Serena's defenses, "Did you not promise me that we were going to be friends?"

"Y-yeah," she answered.

"Then we're staying," he told her, giving her a meaningful look.

"But _they're_ staring," Serena shot back, staring out at the people watching them.

"Deal with it," Darien simply replied.

"Humph," Serena pouted as she took another bite of her rice ball. She glared at Darien, "Want a bite," she asked light-heartedly, extending her hand with the rice ball in his direction.

Darien leaned over and took a bite.

"Hey!" Serena exclaimed, "You actually ate it?"

"You offered," Darien answered perkily.

"Yeah, but I didn't think you'd actually take a bite!" Serena shouted.

Darien just grinned at her.


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: **All rights to Sailor Moon reserved to Naoko Takeuchi.

* * *

Serena trudged up the stairs with heavy feet. The halls of the university were unusually quiet; her light footsteps whispered silently down the staircase on which she traveled. The light that streamed through the window on the landing cast shadows of the layers of steps leading up towards the rooftop. Faint voices of students down below zoomed in and out from her hearing as they passed. Trailing her fingertips softly upon the rough texture of the pristine white walls —as if caressing—Serena slowly continued to her destination.

The rooftop had become her place of solace. It was a place where no eyes could follow her, where no fingers would point in her direction, and where her presence would not arouse whispers; for no one was there. And as she reached the door barring her from the outside world, she placed her delicate hands upon it and pushed. The door let out a bizarre crack before it lurched open.

Serena squinted as the brilliant sunlight and gusty wind entered the university. Quickly she stepped out onto the rooftop and let the door slowly close behind her. Cursing slightly as she waited for her eyes to adjust, Serena leaned against the door and laid her head back. She blinked several times before she could see clearly.

Pushing off from the door, Serena walked towards the railing that enclosed the roof. It was already Friday; the mid-afternoon breeze levitated her silky blonde strands of hair like a whirlpool—or tornado—of silver and gold. She was dressed in a puffy baby blue sweater and jeans that would've fallen an inch or two off her waist if it wasn't for the belt she wore that held them up. The autumn weather was cool and breezy that day; she hugged herself to gain heat as the chilling wind nibbled upon the tip her feminine nose and chilled her with a coldness that penetrated through her warm attire.

Pale from the stiff and cold air, Serena grasped the railing with her shivering hands. She tipped her head upward toward the intense blue sky and inhaled the dense dewy scent of the air; the usual scent that came after the rain. Far beyond her sight she could barely make out a dark patch of cloud that hovered just above a mountain range to the west. Regardless of all this though, her mood was still dark.

Never had she felt so confused before. Serena was feeling constantly off balance. The predictable pattern of her daily routines were now long gone; the utter shock of her family's financial problems have also passed; even her initial irritation in being forced to attend Akita paled in comparison to her present problems. And that was Darien.

What totally confused her was her increasing response to the man. When he was near, her thoughts seemed to drift upon his drugging kiss. She had said she wanted nothing else from him but his friendship; that she completely understood why he rejected her after that kiss. Yet now, after spending so much time with him she didn't know what she wanted from him anymore. She was slightly depressed when they weren't together and she was furious with herself over it. What happened to her control, her independence?

Serena let out a defeated sigh. She noticed that she had been doing a lot of that lately. The complication of her friendship with Darien was really starting to corrupt her life. How was it that she could find him more compelling each time they met?

Who was Darien Chiba anyway? He was not at all what everyone would think him to be. On the outside, he appeared to be cold, unapproachable, hard and powerful; yet there was so much more to him than his callous exterior. She found herself thinking of ways to get him to open up almost regularly, but found that he only seemed to withdraw even more.

However, she couldn't blame him. She wouldn't like it either if he were to pry into her life, into her childhood. It was something she would rather keep to herself. Unlike most people, her childhood consisted of dark and shady figures with voices that made her blood curl. And at night, they'd come back to haunt her. The vague images always seemed to be clouded, and for some strange reason, she could never fully remember what had happened to frighten her so; to frighten her so much that she would wake up in the middle of the night sweating and heart pumping. Oh the chilling voices she heard….

"Yen for your thoughts?"

Serena jumped at the warm and husky voice that came from behind her; the voice that she came to know so well. It was him. His presence was a warm welcome, and Serena smiled softly as the breezed picked up again.

"How do you do that?" She asked; turning around with vibrant eyes.

Darien stood looming above her; his strong lean figure like a towering wall. He wore a black turtleneck shirt that slightly clung to his sculpted chest and arms; and his powerfully built legs were clad in blue jeans. She noticed a silver chain from his pocket that was attached to the side of his pants. His ocean blue eyes were penetrating as he stared down at her. In the breeze his hair seemed to have come to life; his dark ebony locks were unruly and gave him a roguish appearance. He was devilishly handsome, was what Serena concluded.

"Do what?" He questioned with slanted eyebrows.

Serena chuckled, "How do you always sneak up on my like that?"

Darien smiled now; her childish question lightened his mood. "I've told you, didn't I?" He said mischievously.

Darien watched as the angelic girl before him shook her head vigorously.

"Well then," he said playfully; his eyes taking on a predatory look, "Come closer."

At his beckoning call, Serena could feel something build up in her throat, and flashes of their kiss entered her mind. She stood frozen; he wouldn't kiss her would he? Slowly she stood on the tip of her toes, and leaned forward so that she could feel his warm breath caress her cheeks. Her heart pumped faster and faster; her limbs shook vehemently with panic and anticipation.

Darien cupped a hand around her ear and leaned forward, "It's my secret," he whispered softly.

Serena—almost violently—pulled her body away from his. "What?" She shrieked. Her heart still raced and the tight knot in her throat throbbed. Why was her body reacting like this?

Darien smiled, "I said, it's my secret," he repeated.

"That's it," Serena nearly shouted, "that's all you were gonna say? Why do you have to be so—so—"

"Smart?" Darien cut in, "I don't know; I'm genius like that."

Serena turned red, "There is a fine—oh and I mean very, very, very fine—line between genius and insanity!

To her surprise, Darien threw his head back and laughed. The deep booming that emitted from his throat and danced upon his lips soothed her anger. His genuine laughter always seemed to put her out; always seemed to enthrall her. And she resented that.

"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." Darien stated.

"I believe Albert Einstein said that," Serena remarked.

Darien nodded, "Give or take a few words."

"I am not insane," Serena pouted as she crossed her hands defensively over her chest. "Hey, I'm not the one who is quoting Albert Einstein," she gave him a derisive look.

A smile formed on Darien's lips as he stared down at her. She looked cute like that, he noted. Her hair was a tangling mess, cascading locks of silver and gold hair flowing down her backside. With flashing eyes so full of life and an adorable pout that contorted her lush pink lips, Serena reminded him of an angel. Garbed in her enormous sweater and baggy jeans, she still seemed to appeal to him.

"I'm not so sure about that…" he said teasingly.

Serena frowned at him, "You're not serious are you?"

"Then you should stop asking me the same question," he retorted with a broad smile.

Her answer was to stick out her tongue and say, "Well what if you decided to tell me your secret one day?"

Darien chuckled, "I will never tell you," he proclaimed; shaking his dark head.

"You sound sure…" Serena stated.

Darien gave her a funny look and poked at her forehead with his index finger. "That's because I _am_ sure," he said.

"Well, you never know…" Serena laughed rubbing her palm over the area he marked on her head.

"Well let me tell you that in the future, my secrets will forever remain my secrets."

"You can predict the future?" Serena joked, raising an eyebrow at him.

Darien nodded, "Yep; and I see that you will be acquiring a husband in the future too." Darien said this with a smile; he knew perfectly well that a husband was the last thing Serena would ever think about. She had said so herself, 'I'm single 'cause I choose to be single, and it's gonna stay that way for a long time,' she had admitted that to him a few days back. He didn't understand why he had been so befuddled by her statement; but he was. And that was one more added to the list of things that bothered him about her.

"Oh really? And is this in the near future, or far, far, far future?"

"Oh it's in the near future," Darien laughed.

"How near? A year; maybe ten?"

"That's not near!" Darien stated, giving her a crazed look.

"I know," Serena replied smugly.

"Two," Darien said.

"Two years?" Serena laughed.

Darien shook his head, "No, two months."

"That soon, huh? Who's the victim—I mean lucky man?"

"Hmm…It's not quite clear yet…"Darien placed his forefingers on his temples and pretended to channel through his mind.

"I bet!" Serena said, "Well, what else do you see in my future?"

"I see…"Darien stared at her with laughing eyes, "laughter."

"Laughter?" Serena said as she wrinkled her nose.

"A lot of laughter," Darien nodded.

Right at that moment Darien reached out and grabbed her. His hands attacked her sides as he started to tickle her. He could feel her body shiver as she tried to pull away; bucking like a cow about to be brandished. Her laughter was musical; the beauty of it washed over him as he continued with his assault.

"Darie—Stop!" Serena shouted through her fits of laughter, "I ca—can't—can't breathe!" She rived against him, "I'm gonna kill you!"

She fought with all her might to overcome him, but in the end it was no use. Her struggling stopped, and instead she fell against him and shrieked with laughter. Oh yes, she was definitely gonna kill him after this.

"Le—let me g-go!"

Darien gave her an arrogant smile before he said, "Only if you say 'pretty, pretty please; with an ice cream soda and cherry on top'."

Serena laughed even harder at his silly tone. "F-fine," she managed to say, "Pretty, pretty, please; with an ice cream soda and cherry on top!" Serena gushed out; her voice was shrill.

Darien released her; he had a superior look in his eyes. He continued to stare at her as she grasped the railing; her body still leaned over her legs. Her breathing was raspy as she heaved for air. She felt drained, weak, and useless. After a moment she recovered just enough to glare at the man before her.

"You asshole!"

Darien smiled, "I am?"

"Yes, I mean no. No, I mean yes. Yes you are. Why are you asking me this?" Serena stood straight.

"Which is it, 'yes' or 'no'?"

Serena let her frustration show, "Will you stop answering my question with a question?"

"I believe _I'm_ the one who asked the question," Darien gave her a sarcastic look.

"Shut up," Serena said and raised her chin haughtily as she turned away from him and focused on the scenery down below.

Darien stepped to the side of her and placed his arm upon the railing; leaning his weight upon them for support as he peered over the edge. Like ants, cars pulled in and out of the vast parking lot; scrambling through rows and unending rows of vehicles. A line formed as drivers fought for entry onto the main road that twisted and curved down the vista the school sat upon. And from that road branched smaller streets that lead to neighborhoods and shopping districts to the east; a highway that lead pass cities and villages into the countryside; and to the sea that went on for 1000's and 1000's of miles more, to the coasts of Asia and beyond.

"What were you doing up here?" Darien asked her after a moment.

"I'm not telling you," Serena answered stubbornly.

"Don't be like that,' Darien's voice hardened. His good mood seemed to be deteriorating.

"Don't be like what?" Serena continued with her fake cruel façade.

"What the hell is your problem?" Darien now was no longer patient.

"Problem? What problem?" She turned toward him as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Don't play dumb," Darien said curtly.

"Dumb? I don't know what you mean."

Regret coursed through her as she looked upon Darien's face. His eyes were steely as he looked upon her and his posture was stiff and erect; no longer relaxed. Serena couldn't believe his sudden change in character. Was she being too spiteful?

"You're angry, aren't you?"

"I—I think so…"

"What do you mean, '_I think so…'_?"

"I mean that whenever you're near, I just don't know what to think anymore."

Darien sounded so confused…so not his usual confident self, that a gentle smile touched her lips. She was certain Darien had never felt like this before; the expression on his face was so peculiar, she doubted _anyone_ had managed to put him in this state. And Serena felt a sort of pride in how she could affect him so.

He saw the smile that slowly made its way onto her lips, and frowned. He knew by that simple reaction she felt rather proud of herself for it; but he was not at all amused. His mood was still getting darker by the moment.

"And I don't like it," He said to her stiffly; her smile slowly fading.

For some reason, he felt compelled to break her illusion of him; to break the image she had painted in her mind of how Chiba Mamoru was like; for he was not kind and gentle; no, instead he was cold and unrelenting; driven to succeed only for himself. She didn't know him, and she never will.

He watched as a pink tint slowly made its way to her cheeks as she stared at him. Her lush lips were slightly open, and they trembled; waiting for him to say something. _She looked so innocent_, he thought to himself; trying to fight the wild urge to caress her face and touch his lips with hers'. Large sapphire blue eyes stared into his; such beautiful eyes filled with confusion and curiosity.

Slowly her mouth moved, "Oh," she said, hesitantly.

"In fact, I think we'd better reach some sort of clear understanding about what we _want _to go on between us." Darien knew in the back of his mind, that what he was doing was completely harsh and unfeeling, but the emotions that Serena had been releasing from deep within him the last week, had finally pushed him to a point where he could no longer care if she was hurt or not. He felt off balance and out of control by the way she seemed to have such a hold on him. He didn't like it, not one bit.

"Well, do you agree?"

Serena could only manage to nod dumbly.

"Good," he said after she nodded, "If you and I are to be friends I do not appreciate your bitchy attitude. You can be like that with anyone else but with me, is that clear?"

He paused for her to nod once more. "Despite how I seem to treat you, you can not judge that I will be as kind as I have been. You are not some child and neither am I; you cannot act out of anger such as you have. We're adults, and to get this friendship up and running we need to cooperate."

"Also, when I ask for the truth, I want the truth. When I'm serious I do not want to hear any sarcastic remarks or dumb jokes, do you understand?"

Serena mumbled, "Yes," but Darien could still see the rebellious look in her sparkling eyes. "Does that mean I have to be subordinate to you then?"

"If that is how you see it," Darien said curtly.

"Now is there anything you may want to confront me with?"

Serena shook her head 'no' but fumed.

"If that is all, I'm going to take my leave," coldly he turned away from her and headed towards the single door that led into the university.

"Darien, wait!" Serena shouted as he reached for the door knob.

Slowly he turned around to place his piercing eyes on her.

"I don't appreciate how you treat me like a doll." she said.

He raised an eyebrow at her.

"You can't just drag me from one place to another; and force me into clothing that is not mine."

"I _force _you into clothes?"

"Shut up," Serena said, "You know what I mean."

"Look, before you just take me, I'd appreciate it if you asked me if I had plans first. That's all I ask," Serena said softly; her eyes pleading.

Darien just nodded his consent. And with that, he turned around and opened the door and swiftly stepped into the building as the door closed behind him.

Serena sighed; there were many things she needed to learn about him.

Walking towards his car, Malcom thought about the way Serena and Darien seemed to be spending so much time with one another. He noted how every time he was going to class he saw both of them together; always chatting amiably together as they went to their classes. He knew Darien didn't have any classes with Serena, and so he concluded Darien must walk her to her classes. This confused him. What exactly was their relationship with one another?

He came to a stop by a car—its color was of unbroken white—and opened up the trunk. Throwing his bag into it he slammed the trunk door shut. Jingling his keys; he walked over to the driver side of the sports car and placed the key into the keyhole—he paused. Out of the corner of his eyes he saw pale blonde hair.

"Mina?" He asked the lady leaned upon the hood of his car. Her back was to him so he could not tell who she was. However, there was something vaguely familiar about her. Her hair was yellow in the sunlight, and with her head tilted upward like that, her creamy neck was exposed to his view.

Turning around at the sound of Malcom's voice, Mina smiled, "Well it's about time," she feigned a tone of impatience.

"What are you doing here?" He asked, slightly taken aback.

"Surprised?" She asked cheerfully as she walked around the front of the car towards him. When finally she stood before him she slid her hands up his chest and around his shoulders to give him a long hug.

He roughly pushed her away, "What are you doing here?" Malcom asked again. For the longest time he had always liked Mina. He was surprised six years ago to learn that Mina and Darien were going out. And even though she and Darien had broken up he wasn't so cruel as to go out with her when he knew that, deep down, Darien still cared for Mina.

"You don't have to be so rough, damn it," Mina whined as she looked up at him.

"Mina, this is the last time I'm asking you: What are you doing here?" Malcom asked more forcefully this time.

Exasperated Mina answered, "I was just hoping you'd give me a ride home; but since you're acting like you've got a stick up your ass I've decided to wait for Darien instead."

Mina turned around and walked away, but was asked to stop when she was making her way around the front of his car.

"I'll give you a ride," Malcom said, "Just tell me what you're doing here."

"Alright, I'll let you take me home as long as you promise to be nice," Mina said as she walked back to him.

Malcom gave her a funny look, "You _asked_ for a ride, I didn't offer to take you home."

"Shut up," Mina said as she stuck out her tongue, "Do you wanna know or what?"  
"Mina…." Malcom said warningly.

"Fine, fine," she grumbled, "Holy shit!"

"Mina!" Malcom barked impatiently.

"Are you fucking kidding me? Serena didn't tell you guys?"

"Tell us what?" Malcom asked curiously.

"Over the whole week she didn't tell you?"

"Apparently over the week _you_ didn't tell us either," Malcom drawled sarcastically.

Mina stuck out her tongue again, "Har, har, har, very funny."

"I attend Akita now."

"That's funny Mina," Malcom smiled, "Really, what are you doing here?"

"I _really_ attend Akita," Mina answered slightly irritated at his doubtful expression.

"And what about Paris? What about becoming a pediatrician?" Malcom asked in a disbelieving tone of voice; crossing his arms over his chest.

"I'm giving up on that…"Mina said barely audibly as her gaze shifted to the ground, " Look," She said after a few silent seconds; her voice once again strong and confident, "I'll explain everything in the car if you'll just drive me home okay?"

Malcom only nodded before they both got into the car. He knew of her dreams, he knew how much she wanted to become a pediatrician; he couldn't believe that she would give it up. She didn't know that he had always been her number one supporter; he had agreed with her plan and wished her luck on achieving her dreams while her own boyfriend, Darien, had raged and sulked about her leaving. But he couldn't tell her this, and he couldn't say such things about Darien. Darien was just being a jealous boyfriend at the time. Silently he got into the car.

"Look," Mina pointed towards the roof of Building A.

Malcom turned his head to look as he started the car. There stood Serena. She was all alone looking down at the parking lot.

Mina saw the curious look that came in his eyes and said, "Darien was with her; I was just watching them before you came."

"They were together again?"

"Yeah, why?" Mina asked.

"It's not important," Malcom answered flippantly as he pulled out the parking space.

Mina shrugged it aside as well and decided to only concentrate on pleasant things.

"Where the hell have you been lady," Lita berated Serena.

"I've just been so busy Lita," Serena answered, "Urgh…I'm really starting to hate Akita."

"Gee Serena you're so mean to me, "Lita feigned a hurt expression.

"I am not!" Serena defended as she tied her pink apron around her waist.

They were in the back room of _Sweet Dreams Bakery_. Serena had arrived at three to find a testy Lita already working behind the counter. Lita had glared at her as she came in; her unsettling gaze made Serena blanch. But all this did not worry Serena. She had known Lita for most of her life and assumed that her icy attitude was probably caused by some guy she had been stalking…er, she meant _eyeing_.

Serena inwardly smiled. Ever since they were little, she had known Lita to always be on the look out for guys. Throughout high school she probably went out with every guy who glanced her way. Oh, Serena wasn't implying Lita was a slut or anything; in fact Lita (like Serena) had never been kissed either (….eh hem…that was until Darien gave her that kiss of course).

"You haven't called me in a week Serena!" Lita shouted; an annoyed look upon her face.

Serena rolled her eyes as she walked out of the tiny room filled with boxes of supplies with Lita close at her heels. "Well you haven't called me either," Serena reminded her as she grabbed a wet cloth and made her way around the pink counters to scrub down the round white tables.

"Yes I have!" Lita raised her voice, "I called you three times: on Friday night your mom said you weren't home, on Saturday afternoon, I called again, and your mom said you had just left to deliver a present or something, and on Sunday I attempted to call you again, but your mom said you didn't want to take any calls because of some project," Lita huffed, "And I've been waiting all week to hear from you, but still you have not even bothered to return my calls. Now I'm gonna ask you what have you been doing? You're not in some type of gang are you? You're not sleeping around, right?" Lita asked worriedly.

Serena paused in wiping down the table to let out an exasperated sigh and glared at her friend, "Of course I'm not in a gang! Nor am I sleeping around as you so bluntly put it!"

"Well why have you been so busy?"

Serena threw down the wet towel and ran a shaky hand through her bangs of gold hair, "Oh gosh Lita," she said frustratingly, "I—I just haven't been myself lately…ever since Darien and I have became friends and—"

"What? Who's Darien?" Lita interrupted.

Realization finally dawned on Serena; her eyes widened as she stuttered, "I f-forgot t-to tell y-you?"

She was answered with a blank stare. Lita blinked several times before shaking her head of brunette hair.

"Damn it," Serena said in a barely audible whisper; she brought her thumb to her mouth to bite on; a peculiar habit that seemed to be an unconscious action.

"Excuse me?" Lita gave her a look that recommended that she appeared to be loosing her mind.

"Urgh…"Serena growled, "Just shut up and let me think okay?"

"Gees, what's been eating you lately?"

That innocent remark evoked images of Darien nibbling on her lips; kissing them and licking them. She could remember his hungry possession, and skillful takeover of her mouth and mind. All the passion and desire she had came to life in that one kiss, consuming her. Such images made her knees go weak and her breath quicken; how he had this effect on her, she did not know. But what she did know was that she did not like it; not one bit. It confused her.

"Nothing!" she shouted in defense; trying to clear her mind of such visions.

"Will you stop attacking me?" Lita shouted; an alarm expression on her face.

"Urgh…I am not attacking anyone," Serena hissed at her.

"Fine, you're not attacking anyone; happy?" Lita amended.

Serena placed her head in her hands and groaned, "I'm sorry Lita; I've just been so stressed out lately."

"Yeah…I bet, if I didn't know you, I'd think you were on crack…."Lita said with the least bit of sympathy.

"Well thanks Lita. That really made me feel better," Serena said dryly raising her head to glare at Lita.

"Hey, anytime," Lita smiled.

Serena just groaned again before hitting her head against the pink counter once, twice; four times more.

"Look, maybe if I _knew_ what your problem was I could _help_," Lita tried to appease Serena.

Serena's head stopped in mid fall; she stood up straight to give Lita another evil glare, "You know what?"

Lita just shook her head.

"That's what I've been trying to do!" Serena shouted those very words at the top of her lungs; her voice so very shrill and so very loud.

"Ouch," Lita rubbed her ears, "Sheesh, are you trying to make me death or what?"

"Lita!"

"Will you just get on with it Serena?" Lita asked irritated.

"I-I just can't put it so bluntly okay?" Serena told her; a perplexed look on her face.

"Why? Is it so hard to say?" Lita's face was now serious.

Serena only turned her gaze away and nodded.

"Why, Serena? Why is it so hard to just tell it to me like it is?" Lita asked in a soothing voice.

"It's just so complicated and—"

"That's only an excuse, and you know it," Lita said.

"And so what if it is?" Serena shouted angrily.

"Then I'll have to just slap you, that's what," Lita joked lightly.

Serena didn't make a reply. She just continued to stare out of the bakery window; a dazed expression on her face.

After a moment of silence she answered, "Do you know Chiba Darien?"

Lita raised a suspicious eyebrow, "Yeah…?" she answered; crossing her arms over her chest.

"Y-you see…" Serena started to say. Her voice shook uncertainly.

"Excuse me Miss?"

Serena let out a sigh and turned around. A short middle-aged man stood before her, "Yes sir? How may I help you?" Serena forced a shaky smile.

"Um yes," he said, walking down to the other end of the glass display of sweets, "I would like to get that cake right there," he pointed down at a round pink frosted cake. "You see," he said, looking up at her, "it's my daughter's birthday tomorrow. Can you perhaps write on the cake 'Happy 7th Birthday Relena'?"

Serena nodded as she brought out the cake, "Yes sir, indeed I can do that for you! Is there anything else I can help you with?"

"No," the man answered before taking a seat at a white round table.

"Okay, this'll only take a few minutes sir," Serena replied.

Lita stood behind the counter at the cash register, "You can pay here sir," she called to him.

She had been slightly irritated by this man's interruption, but quickly set it aside. Business came first, she told herself. However, why did Serena want to know if she knew who Chiba Darien was? First off, who _didn't_ know who Chiba Mamoru Darien was? He's on the cover of every issue of every teen magazine there is in Tokyo. His achievements in school have been reported in small articles in newspapers. He is every girl's dream man; tall, dark, handsome, and plus, he was smart and rich!

"Thank you sir, and have a nice day! Oh, and I hope your daughter enjoys the cake sir!"

Serena's cheery voice broke her train of thought. In her hands she held the man's money. _2000 yen,_ she counted. She needed to stop dazing off, a robber could come and steal all the money in the bakery and even take all the sweets from behind the glass display cases and she still wouldn't notice. Lita sighed and placed the money into the cash register.

"So…" she said to Serena, who was busying herself with cleaning the tiled floor now, "What about Chiba Darien?"

"W-well," she said as she stood from her crouched position with mop in hand, "h-he and I-I are now…"

"Yes, yes," Lita said impatiently, "Get on with it you dork!"

"I don't think you'll believe me," Serena said as she started to mop the floor once more.

"Urgh, don't make me hurt you girlfriend!" Lita growled, "Why don't you let me be the judge of that?"

Serena sighed, "Fine, fine, you win," Serena kept her head down as she vigorously mopped the _clean_ floors. "Darien and I are friends," she mumbled.

Lita just blinked, _what did she say_? "Excuse me?"

"See I told you, you wouldn't believe me!" Serena shouted, snapping up from her previous position.

Lita sighed, "Shut up Serena. Don't even start with the dramatics; I couldn't even hear you!"

Serena blushed, "Oh."

Lita glared at her. She was starting to get very annoyed, "Yeah, _oh_."

Serena too was getting irritated. She knew that if she withheld the truth any longer it would not save her from Lita's outrageous questions. Why not just face reality head on?

"Look Lita," Serena said in a firm voice, "I was with Darien Friday night."

A confused expression crossed Lita's face, "Uh huh," she said, "And what did he want?"

Serena gave her an expectant look, "Nothing; he just wanted to hang out."

Lita burst out laughing then, "And he wanted to hang out with you because…?"

Feeling a bit hurt by Lita's reaction Serena frowned at her, "He wanted to hang out with me because—"

"Oh! Was it because you decided to apply as a maid at the Chiba's estate?"

"Lita, will you stop being a bitch and listen?" Serena shouted; getting _quite_ angry at her friend.

"What did I do?"

"Will you shut up?" Serena shouted. Lita did just that, "Now," Serena said, giving her a stern look, "I don't know _exactly_ why he wanted to me to hang out with him, but I do know that we both had fun."

"Oh no…" Lita grumbled, "Don't tell me you're in love!"

"I am _not_ in love!" Serena shouted. "Do you think just because every female wants him _I _want him?" Serena knew that despite what she was saying, deep down she knew it was true. She _did_ want him.

"Sorry," Lita said sincerely.

Serena only nodded, and continued to tell her of how Darien and she had come to be friends.

"Oh Lita," Serena sighed after recounting every detail from last Friday until just hours ago on the rooftop, "I don't know what to do anymore. Darien is a great friend. I really like them all (referring to the guys)! But is it the best choice; what do I do?"

From the moment Lita had met Serena, Serena had always been a careful person. Everything she did, every risk she took was calculated cautiously so that she would never fail. And now that an unknown variable was thrown in her balanced life she no longer was sure the solution to the equation would be just one simple integer.

Lita smiled, she knew this may be good for Serena; a new challenge that she could overcome. Serena was a tough girl and had encountered many difficult situations in the past. She wouldn't be surprised if Serena overcame this new problem either. But she felt this nagging sensation that this relationship between her and Darien was much more than what Serena was leading her to believe.

"Well, Serena," Lita said slowly, "If you were to ask me…."

"Lita, I _am_ asking you!" Serena said angrily.

"Don't interrupt me, gees," Lita said giving her a disapproving look, "Let me finish at least."

Serena only glared at her in return.

"I say that…you do absolutely nothing."

"That doesn't make sense," Serena said; covering her face with her hands.

"Yes it does," Lita said with an emphatic nod.

Her blonde haired friend only groaned in answer.

Lita sighed, "Look Serena," she said soothingly as she touched Serena's shoulder, "You need to stop asking yourself what you should do, and just let things take its course."

"If people had let things take its course, Lita, the human race would probably still be living in dingy caves with only the knowledge of how to build a fire," Serena said persistently.

"Hey, you're the one who asked for my advice, remember?" Lita said. "Why don't you just do what I say for once?"

"Because everything you say always turns out wrong," Serena replied.

"Ouch!" Lita's hand came into contact with the back of Serena's head. Serena rubbed her injury, "That hurt, you idiot!"

"Good, 'cause it was suppose to," Lita said coldly.

Serena sighed, "This is getting me absolutely no where."

"If you would just stop arguing with—"

"How about lunch?" Serena interrupted.

Lita gave her an annoyed look, "What about lunch?"

"Well I did say that I wanted you to meet Mina," Serena reminded her.

"Oh! Oh yeah, I remember now," Lita said, chuckling softly.

"Good, how about Saturday at one? When is Saturday?" Serena added as an after thought. "We could all meet at the café across the street from TK mall," Serena suggested.

"Serena tomorrow _is _Saturday," Lita said, casting her a funny look.

"Oh right! Yeah, I knew that," Serena said abruptly; a pink tint creeping across her creamy cheeks.

"Uh…sure you did."

"Whatever, can we just get to the topic at hand here?"

"Yeah, fine whatever," Lita said in a ho-hum tone.

"Alright, can you make it then?" Serena asked hopefully.

"Well," Lita said with a serious expression, "I did have a few appointments scheduled in…you know…a little nap here, a little cleaning there….but I guess I could make it."

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Serena said, hugging her excitedly.

Lita looked down at her friend and smiled. Things were definitely changing for her, she thought. Had it only been a week ago that she had been telling her how much she _hated_ the bachelor six? And today she just couldn't wait to have her meet Aino Minako, Chiba Darien's ex-girlfriend, none the less. But, you know what they say; Lita said to herself, you can't judge a book by its cover….eh…in this case six covers.

"You're welcome," Lita said, feeling very happy for Serena; before giving her a hard look, "Now you better hurry up and get the hell out of here before you miss your last class."

Serena gasped, "Fuck! What time is it?" She looked around for a clock. It was already seven, and her math class began at seven thirty (in the evening). Oh shit, she thought, before zooming to the back room of the bakery to get her stuff and leave.

"Thanks for reminding me Lita!" Serena said sarcastically as she rushed to get her apron off, but found the task quite difficult with her trembling hands.

"No problem-o," Lita called from the front of the store with equal gravity.

Serena sighed with relief as the class was dismissed. There was no homework tonight, which was quite fortunate for her since she needed to finish writing up her lab for Professor Dodo, her biology teacher, and finish another report Professor Shimbo assigned on the medulla oblongata and how it operates. Clutching the straps of her backpack Serena turned the corner; paying little attention to anything or anyone as she did so.

Immediately she collided into someone else. The sound of scattering books upon the floor stopped many who were by passing. Finding herself on the floor Serena snapped back into reality. She blinked several times, before reacting.

"I am so terribly sorry miss," Serena heard a frail soft voice say before she, herself, could mumble those words.

Whispers of disdain, traveled down the hall at the apology (for a rich women had just apologized to one of low class). Serena looked to the lady in which she had bumped into and found that a head of familiar blue hair was crouched down beside her as she grabbed for her books. It was Mizuno Amy.

"Oh, don't be sorry Amy! It was my fault anyway; I wasn't watching where I was going," Serena said; as she reached out to help her with her books.

Amy looked up at the sound of Serena's gentle voice. Shock flashed on her face but she quickly hid it with a genuine smile that reached her bright cerulean eyes. "I haven't seen you in a while," Amy said.

"Yeah, I've been pretty busy catching up with school work," Serena said; handing her two of her text books, "How many classes are you taking?" She asked, eyeing the six books in her hand.

"I—I'm taking eight classes total," Amy replied meekly.

Serena's mouth opened at the notion, "Eight classes? Damn girl, I'm only taking five, and I'm already having enough trouble keeping up!"

Amy blushed.

Then a sudden idea struck her, "Hey Amy?" Serena asked.

Amy smiled weakly, "Yes?"

"Well, a couple of my friends and I are going out for lunch tomorrow, and I was wondering if you would like to go too?" Serena asked hopefully.

Amy's smile disappeared, and a long silenced fell between them, "I—I don't want to impose," she answered.

"Oh, you wouldn't be imposing! I _am_ inviting you aren't I?"

"Well, I don't want to be in the way—"

"Nonsense! They've never met anyway! The more the merrier!" Serena chirped.

A confused expression crossed Amy's face, "Excuse me?" She asked.

Serena laughed, "Long story; just promise you'll come?"

"Well…"Amy said with a hesitant look on her face.

"Please," Serena pouted.

After a long pause Amy finally answered, "When?"

"You're swinging the sword incorrectly," Darien said with a smug smile on his face. He had been sparring with Malcom for half an hour now, quickly dodging his harsh blows and countering his messy attack styles with his own.

"Fuck you," Malcom replied; charging toward Darien once more, only to once again be thrown back by the powerful force of Darien's katana against his own. What he lacked in, Darien exceeded in ten times more. Malcom's awful attacks were executed with untidy grace; where Darien moved with such flawless speed and strength that the sword seemed to be entwined with him.

Darien just laughed, "Don't tell me you're already tired," he taunted, as Malcom placed his sword back into his sheath and knelt over his legs. Both men stood shirtless; their bodies only clad in loose fitting slacks as perspiration was released from their bodies.

"Fuck that; you knew I wouldn't win!" Malcom raised his head to smile at him.

"I could still beat your ass if both my hands were tied behind my back," Darien said with his usual air of greatness. He too slid his sword back into its sheath and walked to the small refrigerator in the far corner of the white room.

"Cocky asshole, you wanna bet?" Malcom said good-naturedly.

"No way," Darien said, waving a finger at him, "Remember, _that_ was how we got here in the _first_ place," he opened the fridge and took out two water bottles, "And see how it turned out, you got your ass kicked."

Handing him a water bottle, Darien sat down beside him. In silence they studied the tempo of their breaths as it slowed, and the beating of their hearts as it mellowed. Taking a swig of his water Darien savored every drop as it slowly replenished his weary body.

"Who the hell trains like you, Darien?" Malcom asked him in a skeptical tone. "Shit, if I'm gonna get my ass whoped by you, I'm gonna need to start practicing more," he said as he took another gulp of water.

"I train four hours a day everyday," Darien boasted, "Fuck it, if you could ever beat me.

Malcom sprayed the polished wooden floor before them with water, "You fucking shitting me?"

Darien just smiled, "Why should I? You better get that damn rag over there and wipe the damn floor, Malcom, before I hurt you even more," Darien said; pointing towards a dirty grey towel a few ways from them.

"Is that how you treat guests?" Malcom joked as he walked over to pick up the rag.

"No," Darien replied moodily, "That's how we treat men with white hair."

Malcom tossed his head back and laughed, "What's up with you?"

"Nothing," Darien said curtly.

"Fine," Malcom averted, "What's up with you and Serena?"

Darien had been expecting anything _but_ that; he turned his head towards Malcom and gave him a derisive glance, "What about me and Serena?"

"Don't play stupid, dickhead," Malcom said.

"Fine," Darien said, "I won't."

Life had been very pleasant with Serena around, Darien thought. She somehow seemed to absorb all the gloom from his life, and turned it into something positive. And he felt happy. When had life ever been as carefree for him as it was now? Along with this however, laid the problem. How Serena had gotten him so enthralled with herself, he had no clue; and this frustrated the hell out of him.

Heck, now that he thought about it, from the very beginning everything about her appealed to him. In the time that he had come to know her, she had amused him, infuriated him, and sexually excite him. She had a gift of bringing him laughter; she was witty, sensual and defiance all in one. When he saw her smiling face, it made him happy. And when she would listen and talk with him, he felt as though she understood him completely. There was just something different about her that made her stand out from the rest of the women he had none, from the deceiving and materialistic females.

But one question lingered on his mind: like all of her race, how could she, one of billions more, be any different? Oh, he knew of the female treachery. Their lying, scheming, and deceitful ways that they used only to obtain what they wanted. Tsukino Serena was probably indeed no different. Undeniably she may appear to be different; feminine, intelligent, and witty, but her center and core? They were of the same perfidy. Yes, for she was female.

He had to take into consideration the events that merely happened ours ago on the rooftop, into mind though. She showed great courage after he had finished squashing her illusion of him. He could see the fire burning in her eyes when she told him to "stop treating her like a doll". Hell, the clip in her voice sure did show her dissatisfaction for his behavior to her. Not many women could stand up to him the way she did; and he admired that trait. He would give her that, but nothing more.

However there is an exception to the female race though (in Darien's mind) and it was neither Mina nor Serena. This female was strong, courageous, and fiery; and this lady was none other than his sister, Rei. In Darien's world, there were only two types of females: the good ones and the bad ones. To him it was only black and white; not a single shade of grey laid between. And in his system, he had only met one woman so far, great enough to be categorized as good. He would not let Serena get any closer than she already was.

"Stop the car!" Rei shouted at the taxi driver. She had arrived just an hour ago at the Tokyo airport and was anxious to get back to the mansion to see Darien. It had felt like decades since she had last been home; and now after four years she was actually driving down the same streets and avenues of her favorite shops and restaurants…except they weren't the exactly _same_. Time had changed many things, and she was eager to learn them all once again.

And now, settled in the back of a small taxi, a familiar female figure caught her eye from a shop at the corner of the street. This woman had pale blonde hair that fell to her back; and Rei reacted on impulse. _How could Mina be here,_ she asked herself? Who else could it have been? For she _knew_ those eyes, and the healthy mane of blonde hair; it could only be _her_.

"I'm sorry, miss," the cab driver said, "but I can't do that."

Slightly irritated by the man's refusal, Rei barked, "And why not? I am paying you aren't I?"

"Yes, ma'am, you are, however you're asking me to stop in the middle of the road and I cannot hold up the traffic," came the man's calm reply.

"Fine," Rei shouted, "then pull the fucking car to the side of street!"

Wordlessly, the man complied; slowly coming to a stop along the sidewalk. Rei kept her eyes fixed upon the women as she entered a store, _Fashion by Mishima. _She opened the car door as quick as she could; stepping carefully, to avoid the disgusting gunk upon the sidewalk, out of the car.

"Hold up Lady," the taxi driver called to her, "you've gotta pay me."

Aggravated, Rei turned around to glare at him, "Can't you wait here for me?"

"Heck no! I've got business!" The man exclaimed.

"Look," Rei said with an appalled expression on her face, "this will just take a minute sir."

"Lady, I'm not waiting, just give me the money."

Now livid with the man's insistence upon leaving, Rei relented. Stalking furiously over to the cab drivers window, she opened up her purse to take out her wallet. "How much sir," she hissed, "do I need to pay for your poverty; 5,000 yen, 100,000 yen perhaps?" Rei said flashing her bills in his face. "Take my damn luggage up to the Chiba's mansion and make sure it gets inside," Rei said, tucking the bills into the man's hand.

The man gave her a dark look, as though to make a remark, but he started up the car and was gone in the next minute. The money was too great to refuse. Rei smiled inwardly to herself; men like those disgusted her.

"No way, is that you Rei?" Rei turned at the sound of Mina's voice and smiled.

Mina had just gone into _Fashion by Mishima_, when she spotted a forming crowd outside of the window. When she saw the raven haired girl, she was compelled to look. And what a shock it had been for her to see that it was Rei! Mina knew of Rei's hot temper; she was one who you did not want to get angry because she could really be a hell cat. Coming out of the store she could hear Rei's angry words, and she laughed. _Rei sure didn't change_ was all Mina could say. But, why was she here? Didn't she have school?

"No, it's Santa Clause," Rei replied cheekily, "Who the fuck do I look like?"

"Tis, tis, tis," Mina said elatedly; wagging a finger at her, "Such language."

"That's bull," Rei said, walking towards her, "don't act like you don't say them."

Mina laughed, "I'm not denying it…it's just that it wouldn't look good if a reporter saw what you just did and decided to write a story on you. I mean you are from the richest family in Japan, don't you think you should be a little more…uh, _diplomatic_?"

"Shut up already, will you?" Rei said, giving her a mean glare. "I just came back from the States and this is how you welcome me?"

"Awww…Did I hurt Rei's feelings," Mina said with mock sincerity. "Let Mina give you a hug…muah, muah, muah!" Mina pulled an unwilling Rei into a tight embrace as she coated her friend's face with kisses. "There," she said, as she released Rei, "all better?"

Rei gave her a disgusted look, "You're lucky I don't call the cops on you for sexual harassment!"

Mina feigned an outraged gasp "Is that how you treat friends who welcome you with hugs and kisses?"

"Mina," Rei said, shaking her head with disapproval, "You're such a dork."

The pretty blonde just laughed as she stared at her raven haired friend, "I know," she said with warmth in her eyes, "but you love me anyways."

"Yes, I love you; now can we move away from the middle of the sidewalk?" Rei asked, looking around at the crowd that had formed all around them, "I think they're looking for their cell phones to take pictures next," Rei whispered; causing Mina to laugh out loud.

The two friends walked side-by-side back into the clothing store; oblivious to the crowd's hopeful glances. It had been a long time since they had spoken to one another. Of course they could've always talked to each other through cell phones and emails, but it was not the same as when they were face to face. Nothing compared to it; and to the two friends who have known each other for most of their lives, it was a blessing to be able to be together once more.

"What are you doing here?" Rei asked as they stopped at a far corner of the shop. She thumbed through the clothing on the rack before them; pausing momentarily on articles of clothing that caught her eye.

Mina did the same; she smiled pleasantly at her friend's question, "I could ask the same of you."

"Yeah, but I asked first, so spill before I hurt you," Rei said, flashing Mina an insidious grin.

Mina shook her head, "You don't change at all, do you?"

"Oh shut up already."

"You are so mean!"

"Ha, that's tough. You just gotta have to deal," Rei's voice held no remorse.

"Gees, compared to how Serena treats me, you're a demon!" Mina chuckled.

Rei hesitated at the sound of Serena's name; her hand slowly pulling away from the rack. "Who's Serena?"

"Oh," Mina said slyly, "Did I not tell you who she was?"

"Damn it Mina," Rei hissed, "what the fuck are you doing here? Can you at least answer my first question?" An irritated expression marred her pale face.

"Tis, tis, such language," Mina laughed at Rei's angry glare, "No, _really_, you should really watch your language in the public Rei," Mina said thoughtfully, "You never know who might hear you." The blonde paused before continuing, "And to answer your first question: I've quit school in Paris."

Rei gaped at her; her mouth slightly ajar as her eyes widened with shock and confusion, "Wha—?" Was all she managed to say in her state of surprise.

Mina let out another laugh, as she coolly ran a hand through her hair, "Why is it that no one seems to believe me?"

"Mina, what about becoming a pediatrician; you said it was your dream! You said that you'd have to go abroad for sufficient education; and that it was the only thing that would ever separate you from Darien," Rei said in a breathless voice.

A bitter smile crept onto Mina's lips, "I—I'm giving that up."

"But you said it was your dream!" Rei protested.

"Hmm…" Mina said humbly, "That's what I thought too. But things change; you know that don't you, Rei?"

"Of course—but—but you—you said that—that—" Rei stuttered hopelessly trying to piece her thoughts together.

"It's not hard to understand Rei; you just got to accept it," Mina said with a small smile.

Mina knew it was time for her to tell Rei about her relationship with Darien. She had stalled long enough. It was going to be hard for Rei to admit that they were no longer together. During the time that it lasted; it was Rei who was their greatest support. She was the mediator and the matchmaker; and Mina was positive it would be a really harsh blow for her because of all the effort she had put in to keep her brother happy.

"Rei?" Mina asked; her voice gentle and soothing.

"What now Mina, are you gonna tell me that you're pregnant too?"

"Me and Darien broke up."

Rei's movements halted; her hand stopped in mid air as she reached for a pair of jeans, her breathing seemed to have ceased, and her face showed no expression at all.

After a moment a smirk formed on her face, "Well it's about time," she drawled.

Mina blanched; she most _definitely_ was not expecting that! "Excuse me?"

"I said: It's about time!" Rei laughed.

"You mean to say, that I was all stressed out that you'd be devastated about the break up, for no fucking reason?"

"Tis, tis, tis," Rei chuckled, "watch your language; you don't know who might ever over hear you!"

"Shut up," Mina barked.

"And why would I be devastated? I'm not the one who was going out with my brother, why should I cry my eyes out?" Rei said distastefully.

"But—but you aren't surprised? Not even a little bit angry at me?" Mina asked; a stunned expression on her face.

Rei just laughed, "I knew it would end sooner or later."

"What! At the time I thought he and I were going to marry!" Mina shouted outraged.

"Yeah, well, there wasn't that special connection between the two of you."

"Excuse me, and how would _you_ know?"

"Look, I really wanted Darien to be happy with you Mina," Rei said sincerely, "but I knew that, by looking at the two of you, you weren't really all gone over him."

"I was too, gone over him! I thought I loved him!" Mina tried to defend.

"Oh hush girlfriend," Rei said, "I saw you looking at Malcom from time to time."

Mina blushed; a baffled expression on her face, "What are you talking about?" She chuckled shamelessly.

"Don't deny it; you've got the hots for him, and I know it."

Mina sighed; a distressed look in her eyes, "Was I_ that_ obvious?"

Rei smiled, "Only to me." She wrapped her hands around Mina and gave her a reassuring hug, "It's okay babe; I still love you like a sister."

Mina pushed her arms away, a grave look upon her face, "No really, Rei," she said with a hint of panic in her voice, "I wasn't _that_ obvious, was I? And I can't believe _you_! You knew, and you didn't even say anything to me? Do you know how much time I spent stressing, trying to think of how I would most easily break it to you? God I feel like I could kill someone right now!" She fumed.

Rei only laughed at her friend's frustration, "Really, Mina, no one else knows except me! And sorry, I didn't think you'd really care if I knew!"

"Yeah, well, I just thought you would tell me when you realized something as important as that!"

"Oh get over it; it's not that big of a deal."

In silence Mina fumed quietly to herself as she continued to pick out clothes.

"So," Rei drawled once again; testing if it was okay for conversation for a second time, "Who's this Serena person?"

At the sound of Serena's name, Mina's whole disposition seemed to brighten. Like a light switch; at the simple touch of a hand her mood went from dark and moody, to cheery and giddy. This made Rei, much more curious of the girl.

"Oh, you'd love her too!" Mina exclaimed.

"Can I get a name maybe? Some status, on her too, would do well," Rei clipped.

"Oh, her name is Tsukino Serena, and she has no status in society really. She works two jobs to support her family, lives in a crummy apartment with her parents, but over all she's a wonderful person!" Mina exclaimed.

"Huh? When did you start mingling with people of low class?" Rei gave her a disgruntled look.

"You can't judge her like that Rei! She's so nice! You should meet her! Oh, oh, oh, oh! And your brother!" Mina shouted with delight.

"What about my bro?" Rei asked.

"Darien likes her too! He introduced us!"

"He—he likes her too?" Rei asked in a shaky voice. "She isn't sleeping with him is she?"

"Who, Serena? Never!" Mina laughed.

"Then, what's she to him?" Rei was immensely curious.

When she had been living back home she had knew her brother to be a person to never be friendly to girls unless he wanted to sleep with them. This was a sudden roundabout turn for him. He had told her himself that he didn't believe women capable of being mans companion. Did this Serena change him?

"Oh, she's just a friend," Mina said, "but if you ask me, there's _definitely_ some chemistry between them!"

"How—how old is she?"

"She's only eighteen!" Rei's eyes widened, "I know," Mina commented, "That was my reaction too, she's really young."

"Wow," Rei managed to say.

"You can meet her!" Mina added. "I'm meeting her for lunch tomorrow!"

"I—I wouldn't be in the way would I?" Rei asked uncertainly.

"No way! Serena would love to meet you!"

"Okay, then," Rei asked with a smile on her face, "Where?"

Malcom and Darien both laid exhausted and energy spent upon their backs in the gym on the second floor of the Chiba's mansion. Their labored breathing was the only sound audible as they both gasped for air; their bodies past the point of exertion. A healthy sum of perspiration covered them, as though one had doused them with a bucket of water.

After sparring with swords, Malcom, in retaliation to Darien's refusal to discuss the matter of Serena, challenged him to a spar with fists instead. And, still, he lost, and still, he could not seem to penetrate through Darien's walls that shielded his thoughts. It was hopeless, he thought.

And then the large double doors opened with a swift swoosh and a loud bang that made both men jump to their feet's in reaction.

Standing in the middle of the open doorway stood Rei; a wry grin on her face. Her raven locks were tucked neatly behind her ears, and her deep lavender eyes shined with mischief and glee. She wore a simple pair of form fitting jeans and a black crop top.

Darien's eyes widened, and in place of his warrior-like scowl, a smile softened his features. "Well look whose home, after four years. Don't tell me you're home sick," he joked.

Malcom smiled, as Rei strode forward to give her brother a hung, and then punch him in the gut.

"You're soaked! Ew, gross!" Rei shrieked.

Darien just laughed as he pulled her in for another embrace.

"Let me go, you smell like sweat!"

"Aw come on," Darien teased, "You don't mind when James hugs you after he works out."

Rei blushed, "Darien!" She shouted, casting a nervous glance toward Malcom. "You didn't hear anything, okay?" She commanded, more than requested, as her eyes bore holes into Malcom.

"Hey, whatever you say," Malcom laughed, his composure totally lost now.

"Heh, heh—what's so funny?" her voice shook dangerously.

"Leave the poor man alone Rei."

Darien glanced back at the entrance to see Mina standing there; her hands grasping her round hips. He notice the way her eyes twinkled as she stared at Malcom, and a twinge of jealousy began to burn, sizzling deep in his gut; he refrained from growling.

She looked as beautiful as ever in a cream colored sleeveless dress that came to mid thigh. Her pale blonde hair was in its usual style: half-up half-down, and matching heels covered her feet. He could lightly make out the curve of her breasts the way the tantalizing cloth of her dress fitted her body and hugged her waist and expanded to slip over her hips; a man's instinctual habit.

Rei laughed out loud at Mina's command.

Malcom frowned at her.

Mina walked towards the group with her head held high. "Hello, Darien; Malcom." She greeted with a smile.

Rei turned towards Darien once again and grasped his hands in hers, "Did you miss me?" She inquired playfully.

"That depends," he answered, with a gleam in his eyes, "How much do I miss being bullied around by my younger sister?"

"Not much," Malcom quipped.

"There's your answer," Darien laughed.

Rei fumed; she turned her gaze toward Malcom and gave him a look that suggested she would hurt him.

"Well, I've missed you too," Rei spat dryly; shoving Darien away from her.

Darien chuckled, "So," he asked, "what brings you back to little ol' Japan?"

"I realized I had some…_unfinished_ business to attend to," Rei said slyly.

Darien raised an eyebrow at her, "Have I ever told you how psychotic you are?"

Mina and Malcom laughed at that, while Rei glowered, "No," she said, "Have I ever told you how cold and cynical you are?"

"No, but when you do, I'll be sure to tell you how abusive and merciless and—"

"Will you two shut up?" Mina shouted.

Malcom nodded his agreement. "No wonder why they're siblings," Malcom commented.

Mina laughed, "You're right!"

"He is, isn't he?" Rei mocked a tone of surprise as she glared Mina and Malcom into silence.

"Has anyone ever told you how scary you can be?" Darien remarked.

This time, instead of making another insult, Rei smiled, "Yeah," she said with a swift nod of her head, "In fact, I've been told that a lot of times."

"I guess that trait runs in the family," Mina sighed; shaking her head as Malcom nodded his head.

Darien and Rei both turned on their two companions and growled.

"So who's this Serena, I've been hearing a lot about lately?" Rei asked, as Mina, Malcom, and Darien all sat around a table in the second receiving room on the top floor of the Chiba's mansion.

"What do you mean by '_hearing a lot about lately'_?" Darien asked, "You just arrived."

"Hey, that doesn't mean, I haven't been filled in on the happenings," Rei protested; opening her can of coke.

Darien glanced at Mina.

She let out a nervous laugh, "Oops?"

"Oh, stop harassing her and just answer my question!" Rei shouted.

"Well, how much has she already told you?" Darien asked dryly. "I'm pretty sure she already told you everything you need to know."

"Yeah," Rei said with a nod of her head, "Mina probably _did_ tell me everything I _needed_ to know, however _you_ need to tell me everything I _want _to know."

Malcom shook his head, "You let her talk like that to you?"

"No but—"

"Yes he does," Rei said, turning to glare at Malcom, "do you have a problem with me talking to my brother like this?"

"You can stop with being a bitch, okay Rei?" Malcom replied; he no longer felt like cowering to the damn woman.

He had known her for most of her life, and at times, he even considered her very much his own sister as she was Darien's. And from the time she was born to the present where she sat across the table from him; she had been good and spoiled. Though Darien was only a good year older than his sister, he had done everything in his power to keep her world an illusion.

You'd think, Malcom thought to himself, Darien, being the eldest, would have been the one to have been pampered, but instead he grew up most of the time without his parents. He grew up not knowing his mother's embrace or his father's voice, and it was all very shattering for him. And so he worked very hard in school to gain his parent's attention; with the passing years he worked harder and harder and harder until….he was the way that he was now. Withdrawn, cold, and cynical, yes, his parents shaped him this way.

And, all the while Darien was always there for Rei. Giving her his support, being her role model, tutor, mentor, he was very much like her guardian. He did his best to shield her from the public eye and to keep her world simple and pleasant. He gave her everything she wanted, allowed her to do many things that would have been deemed inappropriate for people of such high class, and most of all, he gave her his love.

"Oh my gosh, you did not just call me a bitch," Rei said haughtily; sniffing at the air.

"You're a brat too," Darien said with a small smile. He raised his can of coke to toast Malcom's.

"Will you guys get serious, here?" Rei exclaimed with an exasperated look on her face. "All I'm asking is for some dibs on a damn woman named Serena, and none of you seems inclined to inform me."

"Look," Darien said, a hard look in his brilliant ocean blue eyes, "She's just a friend; I believe Mina probably told you that already."

"Y-yeah but—"

"That's all you're gonna get out of him Rei," Malcom said sternly, "Just drop it."

Rei was speechless. Darien hardly denied her of anything she wanted; this was a most unusual occurrence. She had a feeling Serena was of great importance when Mina had told her that Darien liked her too, but now, her suspicions were confirmed. Her anticipation to meet the woman waxed ever more with each passing moment, and a hundred more questions came to her head, but she dared not say them aloud, knowing Darien was already in a bad mood.

"I'll just have to wait then," she said in a whisper.

Mina smiled at her, a coy and sly smile that made her eyes twinkle with mischief.

Alone in a corner booth in the Crown Café, a pretty brunette slurped her chocolate milkshake loudly. Her patience was wearing thin. She looked at her wrist watch once more to check the time. It was five minutes pass one, and still there was no sign of her blonde haired companion.

The Crown Café was a popular teen hang out. Besides the delicious pearl drinks they served, the café had great atmosphere. Its cream colored wall paper was not loud or obnoxious, and their wooden tables and chairs were arranged neatly about the room giving a spacious feeling instead of cluttered. In the center of the café there was a wide strip of wood for a dance floor, enclosed by navy blue carpeting; at night they had karaoke and dancing, and this attracted many young people.

Sighing to herself, Lita looked around at the people sitting around the café; their expressions happy and carefree. She remembered the days when Serena and she were very much in the same mood; but those times had passed long ago. Now their cheery days were packed with work and school; there was little time for the old happy days, for the light-hearted banter over the phone, the long walks through the park, the many hours in the arcade boy-scoping, and the many times they spent with each other in detention in middle school.

Those were the days, Lita thought with a small smile stretching her lips, always such good ol' days.

"Um excuse me miss, would you mind moving?"

Lita's train of thought was quickly interrupted by a female voice. She sat up from her slouched position, her head in the palm of her hands, to sit up alert and erect. Turning her head to the side to stare at the unwanted intruder, Lita gained her composure.

Two females stood before her. Both looked quite wealthy in their _Mishima_ dresses; however they looked as different as night and day. The one who had spoken had long blonde hair that feel just above her waist in a wavy mass; pale blue eyes that were framed with thick black eyelashes, and skin as light and fair as snow itself. The second woman that stood to the side of the blonde lady had straight-cut hair, her tendrils of silky hair was the color of raven. She had striking lavender eyes that were very beautiful in contrast to her dark locks that framed her slim tanned face.

"Yes, I would mind," Lita answered politely.

"Well, ma'am can you do us this one favor and find another seat?" The blonde persisted with a brilliant smile that hid her impatience.

"I've already answered you; I will not move," Lita replied firmly, with her own small smile.

The two looked at one another; their eyes lowering sinisterly to glare at the opposing female.

Mina didn't understand why this girl could not just move. She was alone anyways, how much trouble could it be for her to get up and walk to another seat, she reasoned. This was the booth Serena had _specifically_ instructed to sit at, and so she would do as she was requested to. However, why was this girl so stubborn?

"I will ask you one last time: can you please move?" Mina's voice was ominous, and frighteningly low.

"Look," Lita said exasperated, "Why don't you find a _different_ table? I was here first." She studied the two females' appearance, "Just because you're rich, doesn't mean you will get everything you want," she snapped.

Rei could no longer stay quiet, "We happen to be waiting for someone miss, please, just move."

"What the hell don't you understand? I said 'no'!" Lita shouted, just as outraged.

Unperturbed, Rei flipped her hair over her shoulder and crossed her arms over her chest, "Don't you fucking raise your voice to me. Just because you may be poor, it doesn't give you the right to be a bitch. Now, my friend has asked you nicely to move, since you are by yourself, why don't you just move and don't cause us any more trouble?"

Lita stood up so fast she nearly fell over, a menacing look on her face. "How the fuck would you know if I were by myself?" She shouted.

Rei was not scared, she stood her ground and took a step closer to the brunette, "I don't _see_ anyone else here but you. We're meeting a friend, so can you please move?"

"Do I look like I fucking care if you're meeting a friend?" Lita fumed, "Go find another place to sit!"

But the remaining seats in the café were now taken.

Rei slapped down 10,000 yen, "Move," she hissed.

Lita saw red. She could not believe these two infuriating women; they were rich, spoiled brats that surely needed the shit knocked out of them! They actually thought to persuade her with money! Her limbs shook with uncontrollable rage until finally her hands shot out to grab the collar of the raven haired woman's dress.

"I don't want your money! And I also don't—"

"Lita!"

Heads snapped around like lightning at Serena's stunned and outraged voice.

Lita let go of Rei's dress.

Mina gave Serena a blank stare, "Uh…you know her?" She pointed at Lita.

Serena nodded, "What the hell was that all about?"

She turned her gaze toward the women who Lita had just grabbed, "Excuse me," she asked politely, "Who are you?"

"Are you with her?" Rei spat, indicating towards Lita.

"Yes," Serena nodded.

Mina gasped, "Oh my gosh…" her hand flew up to cover her mouth. She turned toward Lita and grasped her hand, "I am _so_ sorry." She said sincerely.

Lita flinched at the contact of her hand clasping hers, "Eh?" She turned to look at Serena, a confused expression on her face. 'Was this lady crazy or what?' Lita thought.

"Lita," Serena said disappointedly, "_this_ is Mina."

Serena's quiet statement hit her like an electric wave of shock. "Oh no," Lita said in a bare whisper, turning her head to stare at Mina, "Please tell me she's lying."

Mina shook her head, "She isn't."

"I am so sorry!" She shouted.

"Uh…I'm lost…can someone please tell me what's happening here?" Rei asked, a bit helpless and speechless at the sudden turn of events.

Mina let out a groan, and turned slowly to Serena, "Serena," she said, "I would like you to meet Rei. She's Darien's sister."

Serena blinked, "S-sister?" she said in a breathless voice, "But I thought she was in the states studying?"

"Yeah," Rei replied, "I was…I just got back yesterday."

"Eh-hem," a meek voice interrupted them.

Serena turned around abruptly to stare at Amy, "Oops," she said. She grabbed Amy's hand and brought her forward, "I also brought my friend Amy along. I didn't think you guys would have minded."

"Oh this is great," Rei said sarcastically, "Is there anyone else I should meet?"

"I-I I'm sorry," Serena mumbled, a bit hurt. She could feel her eyes begin to water. How did things get so out of hand? She had decided to walk to Amy's to pick her up so they could walk together to the café since she had never been there, and arriving fifteen minutes late she had found quite a compromising scene between her friend and Darien's sister.

"Rei!" Mina shouted, "Stop being a bitch!" She walked over to Serena to put an arm around her shoulders in a comforting manner, "She was only kidding Serena."

Serena nodded, "I know, it's just that-that I feel responsible for not telling you guys what I had planned. I wanted to surprise you guys."

"Yeah, well we were surprised," Rei drawled.

Mina slapped her arm. Rei jumped, and then glared at her friend. "Alright, I'm sorry," she said forcedly as she turned towards Serena. "But, you shouldn't be such a cry baby."

Serena looked up at her comment, "Did you just call me a cry baby?"

Rei nodded, "So what if I did?"

"I am not a cry baby okay," Serena said with fire in her eyes.

"Yeah, sure, whatever," Rei remarked nonchalantly.

"Well, excuse me, 'Miss High-and-Mighty', but it seems I must refresh your memory that it was _you_ who made me want to cry!" Serena shouted.

"Please," Amy said, "Will you just drop it!"

Mina and Lita laughed and the expressions on Serena and Rei's face.

"Say," Rei said, pointing a finger at Amy, "Aren't you the heiress to the Mizuno estates and companies?"

Amy blushed and nodded her head.

"Oh great," Rei said, "_Now_ she acts all shy."

"Yeah, I know," Serena said.

"Stop picking on the poor girl," Lita said.

And for some strange reason, they all bursted into fits of laughter at Lita's remark.

"I'm so sorry about what happened," Serena said for the last time as they finished their lunch.

"It's okay," Mina chuckled.

"Yeah, right," Rei said with distaste.

"Oh shut up Rei," Lita said with a smile, "If it wasn't for her, I would have kicked your ass."

Rei spat out the food that she had just placed in her mouth, "Sure, girly," she mocked, "I think it's the _other_ way around!"

"Stop being so childish, please," Amy said with an appalled expression on her face.

"Amy," Serena said, lightly tugging on the hem of her blue haired friend's shirt sleeve, "didn't Rei say you were the heiress to the Mizuno estates and _companies_; as in plural?"

Amy nodded, "Yes." She had never felt comfortable talking about her financial status before; it made her feel uneasy. When she was young, she learned that people treated her differently because of her wealth, and she never liked it. The façade and the many lies her friends told her just to make her happy never made her feel at ease. She knew that they didn't like her; it was the money they all loved and cherished. They didn't care if she were to die the next day; she was nothing to them, but a pawn in their hands.

"But _you _told me that your family owned a _little_ company, that was merely booming at the moment," Serena said a bit hurt that Amy lied to her.

Amy blushed, "I'm sorry," she said, "I just—just…Is it really relevant as to how many and how big my parents' companies are?"

Serena flinched at Amy's angry tone of voice. The outrage look on her face told all. Amy was definitely sensitive when it came to her social rank. But why, Serena asked herself.

"Of course not!" Mina shouted.

"Yeah, Amy," Rei commented, "Serena was only curious. She probably feels like a ditz for being played by you."

Serena turned to frown at Rei, "Thanks," she said flatly.

"No problem," Rei smiled, before lifting her cup of lemonade to her mouth.

"All right," Amy sighed, "Maybe I'm overreacting just a lil' bit."

"That's an understatement," Lita replied.

"Oh stop it!" Mina shouted, "I've got something very important to tell you guys."

"This gotta be good," Rei muttered under her breath.

Mina scowled at her.

"I just wanted to tell you guys that my twenty-second birthday is coming up," she paused, giving the girls and expectant look, "you know what this means right?"

Only Rei nodded.

"I'm gonna be throwing a large party! It's a welcome home party _and_ a birthday party; that means there will only be reporters and lots and lots of rich and famous people!"

Both Serena and Lita glared at her.

"You're all invited!" Mina continued on chirping happily.

"Wait—what did she say?" Lita asked with a bit in her voice.

"She said we're all invited," Serena said in the same tone.

"Oh, but I thought she said that there would only be lots of rich and famous people!" Lita feigned a shock tone.

"Yeah," Serena followed suit, placing a delicate finger on her chin, "Hmm..."

Mina and Rei rolled their eyes, "Will you two grow up? You guys know what I mean," Mina said sincerely, "I want you guys to be there."

Amy was the first to reply, "I'll be there. It's a 'must' that I be there; especially so the public will see."

Serena was a bit hesitant, "I—well—I won't fit in."

"I gotta agree with her," Lita said.

"Huh?" Mina raised an eyebrow at them.

"Let me ask you this, Mina," Serena said, "What is the dress code for the party?"

Mina blinked several times. Was it really important what the dress code was? "Um…black tie…" she answered hesitantly.

"Exactly," Serena exclaimed, "Formal wear. Do you think I have anything formal to wear?"

"If you don't," Mina compromised, "just go out and buy something."

Serena could feel heat rising up her cheeks; the anger she had withheld was on the verge of explosion. She could feel her resolved shattering, her composure slipping away to oblivion, and her grasp of the situation loosening.

"Call it a poor persons pride, I don't care," Serena said in a deadly voice, "But, I don't appreciate the way you're handling the situation. Do you honestly think I would not go to your party if I could just simply buy something nice to wear? It's not easy for me to cough up big bucks to get a nice dress for this one occasion; I can't ask Mommy and Daddy for the money, so I'm sorry. I don't think I could possibly go."

Serena stood up; her heart was pulsating radically in her chest. Her breath came in a long-short pattern, and her throat felt excruciatingly dry, as though she had just run up a steep hill. She turned to give a final look at Mina before she excused herself from the table and quickly strode from the table. She was too angry to speak rationally; she needed time to think, to collect her thoughts, and space away from the many people in her life. She felt as thought they were all closing in on her; all wanting a piece of her that she could no longer give away any more of herself. And it was cutting the circulation of air she needed.

Lita turned to stare at the three females who looked on at the retreating back of Serena. She gave them an apologetic look, "I'm sorry," she whispered, "But, you know, she's right. We aren't rich like you guys. Maybe I could afford to buy something nice to go to your party, because I support no one else buy myself, but Serena can't. She has to pay for the rent, pay for her parent's food, clothes; heck, she takes care of her whole family's lifestyle! I don't know how she manages it, but she does; and it's amazing. You gotta understand where she's coming from," Lita said with a bow of her head.

Amy nodded, "It is not only the rich who have such enormous prides, but in the poor too," she said to Mina and Rei, "And it seems that Serena has quite an amount."

Back at the Chiba's mansion, through the deep halls and dark passages, Mina and Rei sprawled themselves over lounge chair and bed in Rei's bedroom. It was now dusk and the fading sunlight outside of the large structure stole into the room through the large windows, sending obscure shadows onto the blood red walls of Rei's room.

"So what do you think of Serena?" Mina asked as she laid herself over the silky comforter on the bed, relishing the feel of the contrast of it against her skin.

Rei was silent for a while, turning every now and then in her position on her velvet red couch that faced the bed. "She reminds me of someone…I just don't know who" she answered a bit flustered after a moment.

For some reason, despite her rude exit at the café, Rei found Serena quite a refreshing person to be with. She was polite and quiet, and at the same time she was warm and outspoken. Serena had this air of confidence about her that seemed to capture her attention. The blonde also had a lot of pride; and from the way she presented herself, Rei could tell that she was definitely an intellect and a fun person.

"Yeah…" Mina said, "But what do you think about her?"

"She's—"Rei paused, trying to think of the correct way to describe Serena, "I see why my brother wanted to be friends with her," she said sincerely.

Mina smiled, "She's just so different. She makes me feel bad about the way I've always thought of the poor; and I feel even worse for upsetting her."

Rei laughed, "Oh she told you."

"Shut up," Mina snapped.

"You know," Rei drawled, "the way Lita spoke about her, makes me wonder what it would be like to be in her shoes. How does she manage it all?"

"How does who manage it all?"

The girls turned to frown at Darien, who stood in the doorway; his body taking up the whole entry way.

"We're talking about Serena," Rei informed him.

"Oh really?"

"Uh huh," Mina nodded.

"Is there anything you ladies want to tell me?"

"About what?" Rei asked.

Darien rolled his eyes, "About Serena."

"No, why?" Mina replied.

Darien strode into the room and sat down in the arm chair that faced the window. He had heard some of their conversation and was now quite curious about what had happened at the luncheon.

"All right," he said; giving them an accusing look, "What happened?"

"Why Darien," Mina said innocently, "What do you possibly mean?"

Darien's eyes turned hard as he looked at her, "I'm not asking again."

"Serena walked out on us at lunch," Rei abruptly answered.

Mina frowned at her, "Nice job on standing your ground," Mina said bitingly.

"Hey," Rei defended, "When my brother looks as scary as he does now, it's not good to deny him!"

Even more interested by Rei's remark Darien leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees that were covered in black dress slacks. "Why did she walk out on you?"

"Mina kind of…um..._offended_ her?" Rei answered; then let out a nervous chuckle.

"What did you do this time?" Darien asked in a low and gruff voice.

Mina sweat-dropped, "I—I—Stop staring at me like that! You're putting me on the spot!" She shouted at Darien, whose eyes were scrutinizing and analyzing every aspect on her face.

His face only turned expressionless in answer.

"She wanted to know what the dress code for my birthday party was; I told her it was black tie. Them she said she couldn't go because she didn't have anything formal to wear; I told her she could always buy something; and then she just exploded!" An incredulous expression appeared on the blondes face as she told the story to Darien.

Darien already knew why Serena had reacted so explosively to Mina's comment. The damn girl had spirit and a bit too much pride. He knew, by her sensitive nature, she had taken quick offense to Mina's suggestion. But who could blame her? He thought. She spent most of her time working two jobs and trying to fit in her education just to support herself and her parents. The girl was too damn noble, and he resented that. It boosted her even higher on his chart of respect.

"That was stupid of you to suggest," Darien replied coolly.

"You think?" Mina replied, "Before I knew it, she was all on me about how she couldn't just get money from her parents to buy her something suitable to wear and how it wasn't easy for her to just make the money," Mina frowned to herself, recalling Serena's angry words.

Darien smiled, "You deserved it."

And with that last statement he got up from his chair and walked out of the room.

Rei continued to look at her brother's retreating back. And then it hit her! How she didn't come up with it before, she did not know, but it certainly made sense!

"Remember how I was just saying Serena reminded me of someone?" She asked with a grin in her voice.

"Yeah?" Mina acknowledged.

"That person is Darien," Rei said, "She reminds me of Darien."

Serena's days fell into an unorganized mess with each passing day. She met with Darien nearly once every day as August rolled into September. Within the short hours that she spent with him were the highlights of her weeks. She could feel herself getting drawn closer to him with each passing hour, and she felt trapped. Most of the time, she felt as though she was in a whole new world. The feelings he invoked in her were crazy— like the erotic images that just so happened to pop into her mind—which was absolutely zany! Really, she reasoned with herself, she had never felt this way for a man before, and seeing such images made her…hot…She was a novice to this type of friendship Darien and she had, and she expected Darien to know exactly what to do. He was indeed the experience one, wasn't he?

The meetings between her, Rei, Mina, Lita, and Amy were now a regular practice. On Mondays they went out for lunch at the Crown Café, on Wednesdays they went to the mall, on Thursdays they had study sessions after their last classes, and on Saturdays were their annual relax day, where they just went to Mina's and hung out.

Her life had become the farthest thing from dull and predictable. It was a roller coaster ride of emotions, where she did not know if her mood would drop or increase with each corner she turned; she was as unstable as stocks which fluctuated from second to second.

She had been floating on top of the world in a daze.

That was until the inevitable happened.

Streaks of pink, red, orange, and purple zipped through the sky as the sun slowly faded into the ever going west. The four structures of Akita University glowed yellow in the faint light of the day, casting long shadows that devoured the light behind them. It was Thursday, and Serena had just finished her last class. Her spirits were not exactly high, but she was indeed glad she would be receiving her paychecks today.

She walked wearily to her bicycle, the long hours of the day taking its toll on her. She couldn't wait to get to Amy's; that was where their usual study sessions took place. After their first encounter at the Crown Café, Serena made it her first priority to get closer to the girls. Having that in mind, she quickly learned that Amy was quite the genius.

Amy was so very polite and sweet; Serena had a hard time keeping a straight face whenever she was with her. The blue haired woman had a good-natured personality that was quite different from most women of the modern day. Her blue cerulean eyes glowed with such warmth that it seeped through Serena like a cleansing serum; making her feel like a little girl. Her patience, too, surprised Serena. Goodness, Serena thought to herself, Amy would even have the patience to wait out in the front of a raging storm, and still have the gentlest disposition all the while.

Rei was a very complex person to understand though; unlike Amy, she seemed sour, and very materialistic. The dark haired woman was everything but patient; she had no stomach for attitude, but yet she seemed to be the queen of it. She was sassy and down right rude at times, too, Serena thought, huffing to herself as she walked on down the steps of building A, remembering Rei's taunting voice.

Serena quickly saw through this façade of Rei's though. All of this was how Rei wanted the world to perceive her; as a young heiress who should not be messed with. Rei was indeed no different from Mina, herself— and even Amy—at all! She was considerate; she knew when to draw the line on her crude jokes and insults; she cared very deeply about those who are close to her, such as Darien, who, she admitted, she always thought of as a father.

Sighing to herself, Serena unlocked her bicycle from the bike rack, placed the chain into her backpack, and clasped the handles, which where covered with a rubbery black grip, to stroll it along. In just a month, she had met the most amazing people in her life. All were very different, while some very much the same, but over all, they were honest and good people.

Walking down the road aligned with magnolia trees, Serena hummed merrily to herself, oblivious of the passing cars. Life was near heaven for her, and at the moment, she just didn't feel like waking up to reality. The growing animosity towards her from her classmates was the last thing she wanted to think about. After the initial shock of her relationship with Darien had been conquered, they openly showed their hate for her. Some were even so mean, as to lock her in a bathroom stall. But, no matter what happened to her, she decided she would not tell a word to Darien. He mustn't worry over her.

Coming to a halt at the crossroads at the bottom of the slope, Serena steadied her bike, throwing her leg over the seat before fully parking herself on top of the bike and pedaling. As soon as Serena started moving she noticed something wasn't quite right. The gait of the bike was a bit strange. Was she just worn out, or was her bike a bit shaky? Serena frowned as she contemplated the rocky movements of the bicycle. Why couldn't she steady herself?

Serena ceased her pedaling; both her feet firmly planted themselves on either side of the bike. She swung her leg over once more, but kept her hands on the handles to steady the bike. She kicked down the small metal leg to hold the bike up in place so she could study it with free hands.

Serena's body froze as she identified the problem. Her tires were flat. But the air didn't just simply come out due to an over use of the tires. No, there were large holes in them. Someone had tampered with her wheels.

"Bike problems?"

Serena's body jerked up at the sound of the female voice. Beside her, a black car pulled over, the windows rolled down. Inside **Aiko Reizei stared at her through dark sunglasses, a sly smile pulling her red lips wide. She reached up with one hand to pull her sunglasses back into her artificial red hair to show her green eyes, which lacked of depth and filled with narcissism.**

**Serena smiled to hide her irritation, "Yeah, just some…_minor _problems."**

**Reizei's smile broadened, "Anything I can _help_ you with?" She offered coyly.**

**Standing to her full height, Serena placed her hands upon her hips and continued her charade, "No thank you," she said pleasantly, "It's nothing I can't handle."**

**The red head immediately turned sour, "You stay away from Darien!" She pointed a finger, three inch red nails and all, at Serena.**

**Serena was quite taken aback by her outburst; but she now had her answer as to who had slashed her tires. A rage burned in her, but she did her best to keep it under control. "Oh?" She said, feigning a startle tone, "And what if I don't?"**

**"I'll ruin you!" Reizei shouted, "I'll make sure you're life is hell!"**

**Serena only laughed to infuriate her more, "You don't have to, my life already is."**

**"Don't be a smart ass," the woman said from within the car, "…but then again…I bet it is, you know, being _poor_ and all."**

**Then she drove away, laughing madly. Serena felt as though she would explode, her body shaking with rage. Damn Darien, she though bitterly to herself, how come he had to have such crazy and obsess women running after him?**

**"That bitch did not!" Rei shouted with outrage on Serena's behalf.**

**After that incident at the end of Akita Avenue, Serena had rolled her bike all the way to Amy's, puffing and huffing the whole way there. It had taken her nearly one hour and a half, and she was definitely not in a happy mood when she arrived at the large French styled estate.**

**The Mizuno's estate was very beautiful. The house consisted of three main structures, all attached to one another. On the exterior of the buildings, the house had beige stucco. There were twenty windows all around, all framed in white wood. Long green vines climbed the walls, twisting and turning, with pretty white roses blooming along the vine. **

**The girls were quite worried when Serena had not arrived around the usual time. When Serena marched into the room and swung her backpack at them, they knew something had to be wrong. Their friend's face was red, and she appeared to be breathing very hard. Serena looked down right scary as she seethed with anger.**

**Immediately, the girls tried to placate her anger, for she looked ready to kill. As Serena walked to the Mizuno's, her anger had continued to wax, until she felt like a volcano, on the verge of exploding, but at the same time couldn't. The girls swore they could see steam rising from her head, and soon began nagging her for a full account of what had happened to her.**

**"Damn right!" Serena remarked after Rei's outburst.**

**"Why didn't you just slap her?" Rei shouted.**

**"She was in her fucking car!" Serena hollered.**

**"So what? Pull her out of the damn thing and kick the crap out of her!" **

**Serena grunted her approval.**

**Amy shook her head in dismay, "You know, you shouldn't be so hostile. Why would she do such a thing to you?"**

**Serena scowled at her, "I told you. She said she wanted me to stay away from Darien."**

**"That's strange…" Mina said, with a thoughtful frown on her face.**

**"Heck yeah, it is!" Serena shouted. "What difference would it make if I were to stay away from him or not?"**

**"Maybe…" Lita suggested, "Maybe she thinks you two have something going on?"**

**"Me and Darien? I don't think so…" Serena said in a flustered voice.**

**"That makes plenty of sense to me," Amy agreed with a nod.**

**"Yeah! They're always together. Anyone can get the wrong idea." Mina clapped her hands together.**

**"But—but—we aren't even going out with one another!" Serena exclaimed.**

**"Calm down," Lita said, placing a hand on Serena's shoulder, "We aren't saying you two are an item. We know you two aren't, but other people don't, and they might get the wrong idea."**

**"Well, I still say that is one psychotic way of doing things. I mean come on," Rei said exasperatedly, "What kind of sane person would slash someone's tires, it's a bit crazy."**

**"I agree with Rei!" Serena shouted**

**"Well it's great that you two actually are agreeing with each other," Amy commented with a soft smile, "But I really do think you guys are overreacting."**

**"Hey!" Serena and Rei both shouted.**

**"We get along just fine," Serena insisted, "Don't we, Rei?"**

**"Yeah," Rei nodded, "I really don't know what you're talking about Amy."**

**"Oh will you two stop it?" Mina shot them an annoyed look. "Look," she said, changing the topic, "My party's this Saturday, and I got to jet to get some preparations done." She got up from the Amy's bed and grabbed her backpack from off the floor. She slowly repacked as the girls watched her, zipping up her bag before staring up at them. "I want you all to be there, do you understand?" **

**The girls watched her reach for the door knob, but Mina's hand stopped in mid air. She turned around to direct a smile at Serena, "You'd better be there, Serena," she said firmly, "I don't care if you come in a potato sack or a wedding dress, as long as you are there. Do you here me?"**

**Serena's eyes twinkled. She had already planned to go; there was nothing that could stop her from going to her friend's birthday party. It would be selfish too, if she did attend. She had let her pride get in the way at the café, but now, she knew that the right thing to do was be happy for Mina, and if Mina wanted her to go, then that's exactly what she was going to do. **

"Yes," Serena answered, "You can count on me to be there."

Mina smiled before walking out the door. Yes, her party would be so much fun now that Serena was coming.

The weather was cold and gloomy Friday afternoon. Dark rain clouds hovered just above the tallest skyscraper in downtown Tokyo. Eeriness in the way the wind seemed to be blowing, so chilling that it numbed, gave an unsettling air for the day. The thick and dense atmosphere was indeed foreshadowing rain. It was not the clouds that foretold of rain, no, it was the air; the air that carried a moisture so very tangible that in itself it felt as if it were raining.

This certainly was not her lucky day, that much Serena knew, as she came out of Building C of Akita. She had not brought an umbrella, and all the more worst, she did not even have a jacket. The thick fog that rolled in was a bit creepy; everything became vague in her view. She had no bike to get her to the library, and now, she was sure Reizei might try to run her over in her car.

The hairs on her arm rose as she stepped into the freezing wind, goose bumps rising up her bare arms in reaction to the cold. Nothing could be worse, she thought. Her skin glowed white due to the icy temperature, and despite the many times she rubbed her arms she could not feel the warmth. Every now and then she saw figures through the fog, becoming clearer as they came forth and fading once more as they retreated into the embrace of the semi-transparent atmosphere.

She hated fog. Yes, Serena nodded to herself; fog was now her most hated enemy. It was a most peculiar thing. No light particle can break through it, and the way the ghostly white air particles seemed to reach out for you, drawing you in into its depths was indeed unnerving for Serena. She clasped her hands together and brought them forth, to her mouth to breathe upon. It was no use.

Her hot breath, coming into contact with the air only turned into water vapor, to join the already large amount collecting in the sky. She trembled, as she turned to look around at her class mates as they all passed her, giving her funny looks. She needed to get to the library fast.

Gathering her wits, Serena stepped out onto the sidewalk at the bottom of the stairs leading into the University. She looked to her right, and then quickly looked to her left. No car was coming. Or, she thought darkly to herself, the fog just didn't let the headlights of the cars get through so she could get ran over.

Smiling inwardly, Serena made it to the other side of the street with no injury. Now, all she needed to do was walk pass building B, building A, and the parking structure to the right of building A to get to the library. She had some text books she wanted to check out, and she most certainly had no time to stop and wait for the fog to disperse. But all appeared to be good at the moment, and so she decided not to worry.

And in the matter of time in which it takes for one to make a decision to begin their journey to the library, it rained. Water droplets came down fast and furious. Some people walking began screaming as they ran towards Akita for shelter or opening their umbrellas. Serena, however, only stood where she was at, letting the water beat upon her head, like the pounding of drums. Her body shook with such cold, and now that the rain fell, her teeth chattered. Like ice her teeth clanked upon each other in a way that looked as though they would shatter into millions of shards.

Was she being punished? Serena thought; finally finding her senses to run under a large tree in a park across from Akita. Underneath the tree, she sat upon the cement bench, hugging herself from the cold and rain. The leaves of the trees danced on the ends of their twigs in which they clung to, as the rain also warred with them, trying to penetrate through the barrier it made.

She waited for three minutes for the rain to lighten, but it did not appear to relent upon its heavy downfall. Sighing with defeat, Serena looked at the figures through the fog, running like scattering ants. She smiled as she saw a man run down the paved pathway that ran through the park. He stopped just yards away from the tree, turned to look around him, as though trying to find shelter through the fog, and then he ran towards her.

Serena smiled, happy to know that she was not the only victim of the rain who did not carry an umbrella. She watched him getting closer. He had unruly dark hair that was matted down by the rain. Strange…Serena thought, he looked familiar. Then she let out a small chuckle, if she didn't know better, she'd say he was Darien! Darien had a car, and was probably as dry and warm as ever, Serena added to herself. She would be insane to think it was Darien!

The man finally made it under the branches of the tree. He looked up at her for the briefest of moments, and then looked up again to give her on quick conscious glance. Shit, Serena cursed, it _was_ Darien. She knew those eyes; those ocean blue eyes that just seemed to fascinate her to no end. She knew that face; that face that was so terribly handsome her heart seemed to stop every time she looked upon it.

She turned away from him, hoping he didn't notice it was her, at the same time a million questions popped into her head. Why was he in the rain, where was his car, didn't he have an umbrella, how in the world did they both end up under the same tree? Her body shook, though not from the cold any more, but from the presence of Darien.

Darien knew it was Serena, when he had come under the tree; for how could he not know that beautiful face of hers? And now he felt like bursting into laughter as she tried to hide from him. He watched her fidget, her movements shaky. She had no jacket, and no umbrella, and he was getting angrier by the moment as noted this. Was she so irresponsible, as to not protect herself from such weather? She could get sick, he thought to himself, frowning.

"Serena?" Darien beckoned toward her. His sounded gruff to his ears.

Serena thought he sounded furious.

She jumped at his voice, and slowly turned around, wincing, "Darien!" She mocked a shocked expression, "What are you doing here?"

Darien raised an eyebrow at her, "Trying to get out of the rain." His voice was dripping with laughter.

Serena blushed, "Oh, uh, right, me too."

Darien's eyes lowered hungrily as he looked at her. Her rain dampened clothes clung to her every curve; he could practically see her swelling breast through her white T-shirt. He noticed the way her baggy jeans hugged her long and shapely legs; feeling himself harden at the sight of her. Damn it, Darien thought. His slacks were wet, and he sure as hell did not want to get an arousal now.

He forced a smile, "I guess we're stuck on the same boat," he drawled.

Serena smiled softly and nodded, "Except, you have a coat," she said, pointing at his black jacket.

At her comment, Darien took his coat off and held it towards her, "Com here," he commanded.

Serena shook her head. "I can't accept that; then you're gonna be cold," she said.

"Yes you can," Darien replied, his voice unwavering, "And you will."

"But—" Serena didn't finish her sentence, she already was running away from under the tree.

Darien gave up and walked quickly towards her, his purposeful steps showed his irritation, the way his pants clung to his own strong and powerful legs. Serena stepped away from him, and Darien frowned at her, before grabbing her wrist and pulling her closer towards him.

Serena flinched at Darien's warm hands clasping around her wrist, and she pondered the contradiction between Darien's drenched body and his body's temperature. She had little time to think it over though, because before she knew it Darien had pulled her into an embrace.

She went rigid in his arms at the first contact, but she couldn't help it when her body relaxed in his arms. There was just something about being in his arms that made her feel safe. It was a feeling she hardly felt, even when in the confines of her own bedroom. She liked the way he held her so close, his heat warming her, and when she laid her head upon his chest, it was inevitable, he just felt too damn good. No longer did she care about how improper this was for him to do, especially in public when there were crazy women like Reizei running around who could just see them.

"Where were you going?" Darien asked in a husky voice; he no longer liked this position. He was getting a little _too_ hard, for comfort. Serena's breasts were pressed up against his, and he could not help but note the fact that her nipples were hard. Damn the woman, he thought, she was too provocative.

"I'm—I mean to say I was going to the library until—"

"I'll take you," Darien said, roughly pulling away from her, and swung his coat over his head.

Serena only watched incredulously, "But you can't go out into the rain," she said in a near gasp.

Darien turned to smile at her, "Oh, but _we_ can."

He let go of one side of his coat to draw Serena under his arm, and then lifted his jacket over the both of them. "You have to come closer," Darien told her.

Serena's breath was caught in her throat. She had missed the warmth of his embrace when he pulled away, and now that he was telling her to come closer to him she was unwilling. She was a walking contradiction, she told herself, feeling a bit disgruntled by the admission. Wordlessly she came in closer to him. She could feel the warmth emitting from his body, smell the husky male scent of his, and his body pressing in closer to her as they edged closer to the perimeter of the tree. He was fogging up her mind.

"You'd have gotten soaked if you were gonna go to the library," Darien said, frowning down at her.

Serena nodded, "But I was planning to stop under each building along the way there, so I wouldn't get as wet," she told him meekly.

Darien smiled, "You'd still get soaked right down to the last clothing. But we'll try it. On my count, okay?"

She nodded, feeling a little overcome by his warm body, so close behind her, "One," Darien looked down at her with bright eyes, "Two," he turned his gaze onto the pouring rain, "Three," and off they sprinted.

They both laughed as the rain pounded against them. Serena drew closer to Darien with each step she took, laughing hysterically as she nearly slipped upon the set sidewalk. Shivers of excitement ran through her like electric shocks until it exploded in her brain, creating a cloud of euphoria.

Her incredible laughter was so contagious Darien could not help but smile. He had never had so much fun running to a library before, in the pouring rain too. And this giddy feeling that overcame him was just so strange, it made him feel like laughing and…and it made him feel like kissing her. He didn't know how Serena could make him feel this way. He felt happy. And in that short moment, he new that Serena was not at all like other women. She was different, and he liked that. And he sure as hell hoped that the man she marries, realizes the treasure he has, because she maybe the only one left. Next to his sister though, she was the only good woman left.

"We're here," Darien whispered.

Serena could feel his hot breath caress her neck. Damn, she thought, as he stepped back from her and slung his coat over one arm. He flashed her genuine grin, and then winked at her, "I told you we'd still get soaked," he teased.

Her eyes roamed his soaked white collar shirt; underneath, she could make out a tank-top. Every article of clothing he wore clung to his strong lean figure and Serena could help but notice how strong he was. She could feel her pale cheeks heating as she continued to stare at him. Darien just gave her a knowing smile.

"I guess, I should go," Darien said as he stared into her eyes. "Here," he said, handing her his coat, "you take this."

Serena nodded, not letting the connection break, "Thank you," she breathed.

Darien nodded, and with one final glance at her, he turned away, and ran back into the hold of the fog and the shower.

Why did the library have to be so close, Serena thought to herself. She hit her forehead with the palm of her hand; she shouldn't really be thinking such things. Darien was handsome, yes, she admitted to herself, but that didn't mean he was a good person. But, then again, he did walk her to the library and gave her his coat, and he was always really nice to her. She had never met any other man like him before.

"Shit!" Serena shouted.

People turned to stare at her as they came out of the library, but Serena really didn't care at the moment. The reason why she was so enthralled by him, the reason why he made her feel safe, the reason why she enjoyed his company, the reason why he was able to make her feel so light headed all the time…wasn't because he was simply handsome and fun to be with…No, that was not the reason at tall.

The reason was that…she was in love….

She was in love with Chiba Mamoru Darien.


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: **All rights to Sailor Moon reserved to Naoko Takeuchi.

* * *

An earthly scent filled the thick atmosphere, the indistinct smell of the fading autumn to winter. The city of Tokyo was once again about its usual bustling way of upbeat life, as the dense ominous clouds migrated west of the city. Under the growing sunshine, people baked in the humid temperature that followed the earlier downpour, as the light conquered over the dreary pall that loomed over the city. Crowds of people formed upon once empty streets, while cars zoomed back and forth on damp roads.

Among the crowd traveling through the Ginza District were two ladies, one a brunette while the other a blonde. To those watching, it was easy to tell the two were great friends as they chatted animatedly to themselves; the Brunette had an ecstatic expression on her face, while the other had a look of hesitancy.

Lita had finally convinced Serena to come out with her that afternoon to find a dress for Mina's party. The impending day was only within the next twenty-four hours and neither had any spare time for another shopping trip. Serena, feeling a bit unsure since she had only made up her mind to go just days before, allowed Lita to drag her through the many shopping areas in downtown Tokyo.

Hauling her blonde friend through the herd of people upon the sidewalk, Lita was able to maneuver them out of the maze of bodies and into a large department store at the corner of the street. She had been to the store times before but this time her sole purpose was to help Serena buy the perfect dress. Serena was not easy to shop with; she turned down every dress Lita suggested, and the brunette was getting more frustrated by the minute.

"Okay," Lita said as she held up an emerald colored dress, "How about this one?"

Serena didn't pull her gaze away from the rack of dresses as she asked, "How much is it?"

It took Lita several seconds to find the tag on the dress before replying, "It's within budget." She sighed with exasperation.

"What is the price, Lita," was Serena's clip response.

"Eleven thousand yen."

Serena looked up to analyze the dress after Lita's answer. She didn't like the daring plunge at the neck line…Oh! And the back, she thought to herself, the back was entirely too revealing!

"Emerald?" She remarked, "It's more of your color than it is mine."

"You'll look fine in it," Lita persisted.

"No I won't," she said stubbornly.

"Yes you will, come on, at least try it on!"

"I don't like it! It's ugly; do you understand now?"

Grumbling to herself, Lita roughly shoved the dress back onto the rack. The rest of the shopping trip continued in the same matter. With every dress that appealed to Lita, Serena rejected. It was either 'not her color', 'too revealing', or 'she just didn't like it'; and Lita's temper was on the verge of breaking.

"You know what, Serena?" Lita asked her as they came out of the store.

"What?"

"You're not ever gonna find a dress if you're gonna be so picky. And if you're gonna be picky, you should've started shopping a month ago. But you know what," Lita paused to glare at her blonde friend, "instead you delayed because you were acting like a brat!"

The smile that crossed Serena's lips were of regret and acceptance, "I know, I was wrong," she continued in a gruff voice, "Lets—lets just call it off then."

"No way, Serena," Lita rebuked, "I dragged you out here today to look for a dress, and that's exactly what we're gonna do!"

"No really," the blonde said, "I—I can't take any more of this; I'm just gonna go home."

Almost immediately Lita felt a pang of guilt hit her as she watched her friend let out a shaky sigh, "No, don't do that! I didn't mean to be so--"

"No," Serena persisted in a firm voice, "You're right. Thank you for enduring the hell I just put you through, Lita. I appreciate it…but I have things to do, okay?"

"I didn't mean to say—"

"The hell you didn't," Serena said with a small smile. "Look, its fine. I'll just have to see if I can go shopping later, or if I can find something to where at home."

"We can still go looking around; it's not like I had anything better to do…Hey! Where're you going? Serena! Serena, wait for me!"

Lita started at a sprint after Serena, but her petite friend was already blending into the crowd as she quickly dodged bodies to get to the other side of the street. Soon, Lita was so lost in the horde of people, she wasn't even sure if she were on the sidewalk or on the street. Like wild rapids in a wide river, she fought her way through the mass of people to get across to the sidewalk. She turned in circles, craning her neck to see over people trying to spot a patch of blonde hair but failed miserably.

As she finally made it to an open area, Lita sighed with exasperation. Something was up with Serena, that much she knew.

_Sweet Dreams Bakery_

Breathe. Just breathe, she told herself. Serena shook vehemently as she ran a shaky hand through her silky tendrils of golden hair. She couldn't breathe. There was a tightening in her chest, a feeling of her heart constricting, as though someone had slashed open her torso and had wrenched out her organ of love and clutched it in their hands, squeezing it in their powerful grasp as bloody droplets emitted from its contours. Her eyes stung as she fought back the tears that threatened to spill over her pale face. She sniffled lightly, leaning her weight on the pink countertop of the bakery.

She couldn't love him. It was damn near impossible to love a man like him. Darien was friendly, yes, but in all the time that she spent with him, his personality toward her was still aloof cordiality. He laughed, joked around, and listened to her with an aptness that she had always longed for a friend to do…but he never thought to look beyond her exterior persona. He remained indifferent, blind, to what really mattered to her. He didn't want to get involved, emotionally or physically. That was his motto.

Looking upon past times, she realized he never was an open person. Speaking of himself was limited to the questions that she asked him, and still she felt as though he withheld some truth from her. He was a mysterious figure, and that, Serena decided, was probably why she was drawn to him like this. Though his smiles were freely given, his laughter she had won. Now she hoped his critical eyes would soften when he looked upon her, a wish she knew he would never bestow without some significant offer from her.

The frown that he wore daily brought out the harshness of his features. The rough lines of his face were greatly defined this way, and only through a smile could she see the softening of his facial appearance and the boyish countenance that he had altered to become the man he was now. She wanted so very much to be his savior, but she knew it was most impractical of her to even dream such a dream.

Nevertheless, when he held her in his arms that afternoon, she felt safe, and so very secure. It felt right for her to be held by him, the world had stopped spinning in those short minutes as though time itself had frozen. She resented the fact that he could affect her with only his presence. If she wasn't careful, he could possibly shatter her world; a world that had changed in that one moment; it had stirred something in her…and that something had been love. The blonde sighed, an action she was doing quite frequently now.

"What the hell was that all about?" Lita yelled as she burst in through the back room of _Sweet Dreams Bakery _with a pink apron tied around her waist.

Serena snapped out of her thoughts, "What?"

Lita shot her a deadly gaze, "The whole thing with you ditching me in the middle of the Ginza District."

"Oh," Serena said nonchalantly, "I had to get here on time; you know how I've been so late."

The look on Lita's face told that she was unconvinced, but she yielded anyways, "If you say so…"

A silence fell between them. The tension was high as both struggled to find a topic to discuss.

Finally Serena broke the eerie silence with an outraged outburst, "What the hell do you want?"

A shock expression crossed Lita's face as she heard the ringing of the bells, signaling that a customer had entered. She looked towards the door and saw a tall, handsome looking man coming in their direction. The confident swagger in his stride made him appeal very much like a rebel.

"That's no way for you to talk to a customer, Serena," Lita hissed through clenched teeth, as she faked a bright smile, "Hi, welcome to _Sweet Dreams Bakery_; can I help you, sir?"

"Trust me," Serena seethed back, "He's no customer. He's one of Darien's pals."

Lita tossed her a stunned look, "You mean he's rich too?"

Serena solemnly nodded.

"Can we talk Serena?" Andrew asked.

"I'm working at the moment."

"It'll only take a sec." Andrew persisted.

"No, I'm busy; but if you come back later maybe I can spare you a few minutes of my time."

Andrew looked around at the empty bakery and winced at her rejection, "I just wanted to say I'm sorry."

"How many times, Andrew," Serena said haughtily, "do I have to tell you that I accept your apology?"

"I want to be friends with you again," the blonde amended.

Lita was completely lost from the beginning of the conversation, "Look," She said to Serena, "Talk with him. I can cover for you."

Serena glared at her, "You're not helping."

"Hey, he's pretty cute," Lita remarked with a playful wink directed towards Andrew who smiled appreciatively.

"Fine," Serena relented, "Five minutes," she said as she pointed to him, "You're on the clock."

"Can we be friends?"

"I don't know Andrew, will you be able to be honest with me?" Serena asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes," Andrew bit out.

"Then we can be friends," Serena said in a bored voice. "Is that all you wanted to ask me?"

"I also wanted to know when you were gonna stop being a bitch; but it seems that you are inexorable," Andrew clipped.

"Well he is right about one thing, Serena," Lita laughed, "You are acting like a bitch."

"Stay out of this, Lita," Serena said, not even giving her a glance. "I don't see why I should be giving you my respect," she said to Andrew, challenging him to make her see reason.

"You agreed to be my friend did you not?"

"Yeah, so what?"

"Then with the title of 'friends' you've also relinquished to me your respect."

"I don't think so," Serena replied with a disgusted look on her face, "You need to earn my respect."

"Didn't I say I was sorry?"

"Cut the boy some slack, Serena," Lita cut in once more.

This time Serena turned to give her an icy stare, "I don't want to hear another word come from you, is that understood?"

Lita gulped and shrank under Serena's hard eyes.

"Look, Andrew," Serena said in a frustrated tone, "I don't want to deal with you, especially now. I've already got enough problems; I don't need more to worry about."

"Let me make it up to you," Andrew said with a hopeful smile.

Amused Serena raised an eyebrow as she studied his clean-shaved face. He was very cute, of course he was nothing compared to Darien though. Darien emanated so much power, beauty, and strength that no man compared to him. Or was it just all in her love-drugged mind?

"And how will you make it up?" She jeered.

"I'll take you out to dinner."

Serena blinked, surprised at his answer, "D-dinner, you want to take me out to dinner?" She stammered in a breathless voice.

Andrew nodded, "Give me this one chance."

"I-I don't know…" she said uncertainly.

"Just say yes," Lita offered.

"I-well-I don't know…"

"Come on," Andrew said with a broad and confident grin.

For some reason it reminded her very much of Darien's smile; his cocky and all knowing smile that always made her itch to slap off his face, except Darien's grin was more boyish, and his eyes were more lively. He had a way with looking like a little schoolboy when he was so far from being one.

"Okay," she answered, her head still filled with images of a smiling Darien.

_Moonlit Café_

She was being fidgety, Serena told herself as she sat in her seat. At five, she had gotten off work and headed straight home to get dressed to go out for dinner with Andrew. The whole time it took her to get home she couldn't believe she had consented. A year ago she would have been overjoyed at the thought of him asking her out, but now, she could care less. Instead, she felt like staying home, tucked nicely into bed, curling herself into a tight ball as moped over her stupidity for falling in love with such a man as Darien. A man she could never have.

Finding a simple black spaghetti-strapped dress in her closet she brought it out to lie upon her bed. Shestripped herself of her street clothes, leaving them in a heap upon her bedroom floor. Humming to herself she grabbed a white towel draped over a chair in the corner of her bedroom and carefully wrapped it around herself, before leaving for the bathroom. Serena had thought taking a nice long hot shower would soothe her anxiety but it did little help. Looking at herself in the mirror after she had finished dressing, she wondered if Darien would approve of her appearance. Unconsciously she knew it was he who she was dressing for, not for Andrew, and a sensation of guilt made it even harder for her to breathe. It hurt entirely too much to be in love.

And now, as she sat across the table from Andrew in the _Moonlit Café, _she felt like squirming in her seat under Andrew's watchful honey brown eyes. Damn, she thought to herself, she should've just been nice and sent him on his merry way, but instead she had been mean and evil, and now she had to suffer the consequences. If she survived the night without a breakdown, she would never be mean to a single person again…of course with the exception of Reizei.

Andrew studied his frightened date. He didn't know why she was acting so fidgety. Was he coming on too strong? All he wanted to do was show her a good time. He missed talking to her, and hearing her laugh, and listening to her jokes that weren't at all funny. She was very amusing.

"Look through the menu," Andrew suggested, "Order whatever you want."

"Does that mean you're paying," Serena asked with a small smile.

"Yes, it does."

Serena threw back her head and laughed, "Well then you better have a lot of money on you, rich boy, 'cause I may just clean you out."

Andrew grinned, liking the sound of her laughter, "Oh really?"

"Yep," Serena answered playfully.

"You're so small, though," Andrew noted as he let his eyes give her body an appreciative once-over.

"Don't judge a book by its cover!" Serena exclaimed. "I have a big appetite."

A chuckle escaped Andrew's lips, "Is that so? What do you like to eat?"

"Oh, just about everything!" Serena replied.

"Good, because here comes the waiter, and you better know what you want to eat," Andrew replied, with a twinkle in his eyes.

_Lita's House_

"Oh my god," Lita said as she opened her door. She had gotten home at seven and had been woken from her half hour nap by the ringing of the door bell. Thinking it was Serena coming from her date, Lita had sprinted toward the door with her hair in disarray and her clothes all wrinkled, to find that it was not Serena at all who was at her door, but Chiba Mamoru Darien.

Darien smiled at Lita's breathless remark. "Can I come in?" He asked. It was cold out and he had forgotten his jacket within his car. "This'll only take a minute."

"Please," Lita said, still a bit dazed as she scooted out of the doorway to let him in.

"You're just gonna invite a complete stranger into your apartment?" Darien asked teasingly.

"I didn't invite you."

"But you're letting me," Darien stated as he stepped into the room.

"Uh huh," Lita said, failing to say anything intelligent at all.

"I'm Chiba Mamoru Darien," Darien said, turning towards her with an extended hand.

Lita took the dangerously sexy man's hand in hers; her heart was pounding entirely too loudly. "I know who you are," she stated dumbly.

"Yes, and I know who you are, Lita" Darien replied with a soft smile as he tried to pry his hand away from her death grip.

"You do, how?"

"Serena told me."

"She told you where I lived too?"

"Actually, I had to have some of my men dig up that information." He replied with a gleam in his deep ocean blue eyes.

"You have men at your beck and call?" Lita asked with mystified eyes, "Of course you do! You're rich!"

"Um…can I get straight to the point here?" Darien asked, slightly impatient as he closed the door behind him.

"Yes, Mr. Chiba, you can. Please," Lita said, "Sit down." She indicated towards the couch.

Darien complied, setting his large rectangular box beside him. Lita sat in a chair across from him so she could study his face better. She did not notice the box when he had come in but now, she wondered why he had it.

"Has Serena found a dress for Mina's party yet?" Darien asked bluntly.

Lita blinked several times, "Um…no…"

"Give her this for me then." Darien ordered more than asked as he hand her the large white box.

Speechless, Lita grabbed the box, "Sure…uh…what's inside?"

"It's a dress," Darien replied coolly.

"Oh!" Lita blushed, "Thank you, she'd be so happy. I'll tell her you bought it for her."

"No, you won't."

"What?" Lita asked, confused at his order. She tried her hardest to avoid meeting his eyes; eyes that seemed to read write through hear as though analyzing each word she uttered, and each expression that came across her face.

"Tell her that you bought it for her."

"Why? And how come you just can't give it to her?" Lita's eyes were wide with curiosity as she studied the dark haired man in front of her as he casually lifted his ankle to set upon his knee.

"She wouldn't accept it if she knew I bought it," Darien simply replied.

"And you've come to that conclusion by…," Lita asked, setting down the box. She felt like crawling under a rock under his scrutinizing gaze. He seemed too calm and too collected. And his confident air was overpowering.

The look on her face as Darien scowled at her question suggested she was ready to run for cover, "Her damn pride would never allow her to accept it."

"Oh," Lita uttered, stunned by the note of sincerity in his voice toward Serena.

"Well," Darien said, standing up, "I've got to go—"

"It's very nice of you, you know?" Lita said softly, her emerald eyes now staring into his blue ones, finding her courage. "To go through the trouble of finding her a dress and all."

"It's no problem," Darien said with a shrug, sitting back down onto the old moth-eaten couch.

"Serena and I were childhood friends, you know," Lita said in a voice that seemed lost to her, "And she's been tough, braving the world and holding the burden of her responsibilities on her shoulders since she was a little girl. When she started at Akita, you wouldn't believe her complaints. There were many things she didn't like about the rich…no offense."

Darien gave her a wary smile that hid his curiosity for this insight on Serena. Of the many things he knew about her, she never spoke of her past, and so he knew little—if anything—at all about her childhood. "Really, and what were her complaints?" He enquired lightly.

"Oh, they were pretty much about how she wanted to pound the living day lights out of you and your friends," Lita answered.

Lita raised a questioning eyebrow at him as she observed him throw back his head and let out a shout of laughter. Darien had a wonderful laugh, Lita thought. In the dim light of her tiny living room Darien's skin took on the appearance of sun baked bronze. His thick ebony hair shifted with his slightest movements as he continued to express his amusement. She noticed his rippling muscles beneath his white polo shirt, her eyes running over the unending knots of pure manly power. This man was a god, she thought.

As his laughter subsided Darien remarked, "What did she say?"

"Oh you don't want to know," Lita replied playfully.

"That bad, huh?" Darien questioned with a mischievous sparkle in his eyes.

"Well, it wasn't—yeah, she was down right brutal," Lita replied.

"I want to thank you for making her life at Akita so much more bearable," she continued to say after a pause. "You've started to make me jealous actually."

"Really?" Darien drawled giving her a charming smile.

"Yeah!" Lita exclaimed with sham gravity, "You've been taking up all her time. All she does is hang with you, I feel like I'm second best!"

Darien chuckled good-naturedly at her outburst, "That's because you _are_ second best."

"You really care for Serena, don't you?" Lita stated more than asked as she related the soft expression that came to his face each time she spoke of Serena.

"She is a friend," Darien replied after a moments thought.

Lita nodded, and stood to open the door for him. "You were about to leave," she reminded him.

"Thanks," Darien said to her as he stepped out into the night.

"No problem," Lita said as she watched him turn to leave.

"I assume I'll be seeing you tomorrow night," Lita shouted at his retreating back.

She watched as Darien stopped, and then slowly turned back to smile at her, "You bet," he shouted back; and then he turned around and began walking away again.

In silence Lita watched Darien get into his car and drive off into the dark night; leaving her alone with the crickets singing in the grass that hid them from predators. Slowly she closed the door; locking it.

"Serena loves you," Lita said as she rested her forehead on the door, "more than anything."

She had known Serena for almost all her life—well since Serena had been four, and even though Serena had chosen not to tell her this fact; she knew what Serena was feeling. Too bad, she thought, Darien just couldn't see it.

_Moonlit Café_

Serena's concentration was rarely addressed to conversation with Andrew. His words were droned out with the many thoughts that seemed to be screaming in her head. She laughed at his jokes and smiled appreciatively at his comments, but she was only so very polite. Little did she speak, for it was getting harder for her to draw a single breath. And the extravagant café's walls seemed to be closing in on her, trapping her.

She was not at all claustrophobic; that for sure, Serena knew. And by the minute her chest seemed to be getting tighter and tighter; her heart was rapidly beating as beads of sweat appeared upon her silky skin. If this is love, Serena thought darkly, please just shoot me now and get it all over with!

Andrew carefully examined Serena's face; its creamy color drained to an alabaster white. He noticed her quick shallow breaths with concern on his brows. Her spunky personality had disappeared during their meal, and instead she had become a bit panicky. He frowned at her sudden change of mood, watching her eyes dart from one side of the room to the other. He'd thought that taking her to Tokyo's most romantic café would lighten her mood just a little bit, but it seemed he was wrong. The atmosphere was good, the food wasn't at all horrible, and he was sure he had not insulted her; and so why was she looking so forlorn?

"Are you okay?" He asked thoughtfully.

Serena nodded, "I'm fine."

"You sure?" Great concern was in his voice.

"Yeah," she answered slowly, not making eye contact with him, "I think I just ate too much, that's all."

Andrew smiled, "Tell me about it," He teased, "You had 3 appetizer dishes, thirteen sushi rolls, and then steak with stuff potatoes; not to mention the fried shrimps, soup and salad. For desert you had a piece of apple pie, a piece of chocolate cake, and you've just finished your vanilla ice cream. I wouldn't be surprised if that was the reason as to why you're looking a little sick."

Serena nervously chuckled, "I'm a growing girl!"

"You know, most 'growing girls' tend to eat less so they won't become fat," Andrew teased.

"Yeah, well I don't intend to starve myself to look nice for anyone," Serena replied, "I only need to look nice for myself…" her voice trailed, _and for Darien_, she added silently. Andrew didn't need to know that part.

Seeing the solemn expression coming onto her face, Andrew tried to make her laugh, "Between you and that man over there," Andrew said with a tilt of his head, "I don't know who eats the most."

Curious, Serena turned her head to stare in the direction Andrew indicated. Her gaze got lost in the many people eating together; for a fleeting second her mind registered that the lot of the people consisted of young couples who appeared to be all socialites; and then finally her eyes fell upon the man. She almost burst into fits of laughter as the image drove her previous thoughts from out of her head.

The man was huge. He had so many curves it was hard to tell where one began and where it ended; it was layer of drooping layer of skin upon each other. There was no neck; or rather, there appeared to be no neck for his round head was attached only to the bulging mass of his body. She watched in astonishment as his pudgy hands gripped his knife and fork as he delicately cut a piece of steak before him; there were already two large piles of dirty plates beside him.

Serena turned to stare at Andrew with her mouth open in amazement before bursting into uncontrollable laughter, "That is _so_ mean!" Despite her exclamation, she still giggled. Her cheeks began to gain color; the rosy red tint helping her complexion to make her look even more delectable under Andrew's eyes.

"I didn't insult him at all," Andrew drawled with humor, "I don't know what _you _were thinking, though."

Serena opened her mouth and gasped, "It's what you implied! And don't make it sound like I'm the mean one here!"

The blond man chuckled lightly, "I merely said I wouldn't know which of you ate the most!"

"Exactly! Meaning that you assumed he is as large as he is because he eats a lot!" Serena shouted with a smile.

"No," Andrew contradicted, "Judging by the stack of plates he has beside him, doll. I was judging by the number of plates next to him, not his size! So you see you're the mean one!" Andrew laughed at the look of disbelief on the stunning woman's face.

"Crap," she whispered, "You've caught me."

_Outside of Serena's Apartment_

His unanswered knocking on Serena's apartment door irritated him to no end. Apparently no one was home; however it didn't stop him from hoping that a droopy-eyed Serena would come opening the door, yelling at him for ruining her dream of ice cream sundaes and chocolate chip cookies. In no particular hurry, Darien decided to wait patiently for Serena to get home from wherever she had gone for the moment. She shouldn't be gone long, he told himself, for where would she possibly go on a night like this?

Staring up into the dark sky above, Darien shivered. How alone he felt at that instant, as he gazed into the endless midnight blue that went on for millions, and billions of miles more. The countless balls of burning gas in the sky winked at him from distances he could hardly imagine could ever be reached.

The insignificance of his life in such an enormous world overwhelmed him. His whole life he worked to obtain greatness, to be of some importance when he would no longer be part of the living, but the very feeling of being nothing but another speck in an ocean of stars angered him. Darien sighed and dropped his head down from its upturn position towards the sky. He rubbed his weary face with his hand, where the hell was she, he thought. An hour passed as he waited patiently for the blonde woman to get home. He had a gift to give her.

As though in answer to his unspoken question a green car drove up to the apartment building. Darien raised an arm to shield his eyes from the brilliant beams of light that shot from the car, as he listened to the roaring engine of the automobile fade to nothing. Slowly he let his hand fall to his side as he squinted at the manly form who exited from the vehicle. The tall man, Darien observed, walked around the car to open the door on the other side. He sidestepped to help a lady out of the passenger seat. Darien's eyes lowered dangerously as he caught a glimpse of her face in the faint light of the streetlamp; it was Serena. And the man was none other than Andrew.

It was strange how a furry burned in him as he watched Serena smile up at his friend as she stepped out of the car. He was near mutinous as Andrew pulled her into an embrace, but was slightly pacified when Serena abruptly pushed away from him. A nervous chuckle could be heard from the girl as she spoke something unintelligible to Darien's ears due to his distance; an excuse probably, he told himself. She looked very beautiful in her simple black dress, Darien noted, however it would do her better to where a diamond around slender neck. She would look much lovelier in the gown he bought her though.

Quietly Darien watched as Andrew took Serena's hand in his. Incredibly displeased by the rapid pulse of his heartbeat, Darien frowned as Andrew brought the two of them into close proximity, lowering his head down to meet hers. Damn it, Darien thought darkly, what was wrong with him? So Serena and Andrew were going out, what was it to him anyways? Despite his protests he couldn't help but feel an anger rise in him as he watched Andrew's advances over Serena. It was as though a pang of jealousy had hit him and he felt like shouting at the two. Didn't Andrew know any better than to kiss Serena in the public; anyone could be watching! Darien's hands were clenched into fists; his knuckles turning white at the pressure he exerted on them.

And then Darien's pain was alleviated.

Serena had turn her head at the last moment before Andrew's lips could touch hers. A smile formed on Darien's lip, a cocky and arrogant grin. Oddly, he felt proud of Serena.

Andrew's lip lightly grazed her check. The blond man let his lips linger there for a moment, hurt by her rejection, before pulling away. He saw the color flooding her cheeks, and gave her a soft smile to hide his injured feelings. She wouldn't look at him.

"Too early for a kiss on the first date, huh?" he said.

Serena nodded, her head still turned.

"The second date then? Can I get my kiss then?" His voice was hopeful.

Achingly Serena turned her head; however she still refused to look at him, "Look Andrew," she said gruffly, "I just want us just to be friends—"

"No you don't," he interrupted. "You're still angry at me, that's all. But it's okay, I'll wait for you."

Serena shook her head, finally drawing up her strength to look him in the eyes, "I'm sorry, Andrew, but I'm afraid I don't like you like that."

"You're not thinking clearly, I understand how you feel," he smiled, and patted her on the head. "I'm gonna go now," he said as he turned away.

"No, Andrew, I'm serious!" Serena said firmly at his back.

The man opened the car door and turned to stare at her, "No you're not," he persisted with a goofy smile, "I'll make you see that you still care for me."

Before Serena could make a retort Andrew had already shut the door and drove off. Serena frowned into the darkness as she watched his red taillights zoom away. How silly she must have been to have thought herself in love with a man like him, she thought. Andrew was a sweet guy…though entirely too persistent, but in comparison to Darien, he was nothing to her. She stamped her foot in frustration. She didn't want to lead the poor guy on. Turning away from the street, Serena made her way up the wooden stairs with her purse in hand, careful not to miss a step or trip in her heels.

What an eventful day it had been, Serena reflected. First her little rendezvous in the rain with Darien, then her catastrophic shopping trip with Lita, and now her date with Andrew. She shook her head, when did life turn so complicated? Digging into the single pocket of her purse, Serena tried to extract her house key from within it. She groaned in frustration when they evaded her grasp.

With her head bent, looking into her purse, Serena was not likely to have seen Darien standing just behind the shadows observing her. Coming to a stop in front of the door, Serena was able to give her full attention to finding her key. After a few moments she was able to pull it out. "Ah hah," she said with glee, before sticking it into the keyhole.

"Had fun?"

Serena shouted with fright at Darien's husky voice. She turned to stare at him with horror struck eyes, and then with eyes filled with relief as she saw that it was only him, until finally turning into burning anger. Her hand shot up to place over her heart, which pounded a thousand beats per second.

"Oh shit," she breathed, "don't scare me like that!"

The little laugh that came from Darien made Serena seethe with greater fury, "It's not funny! You scared the crap out of me! I nearly peed in my underwear!" She exclaimed with dismay.

At her remark Darien's laughter only increased, "Damn you," Serena said darkly, trying to hide her reaction to him.

"Gosh," she said as his laughter subsided, "How do you always sneak up on me like that?"

"Are you seriously going to ask me that question again?" Darien said with a smile.

The petite girl chuckled, "You don't have to answer that."

"It's not as if I was going to anyways," Darien replied. "Are you going to invite me in?" He asked, eyeing the door.

Serena shook her head, "I don't think so," she replied, "my parents aren't home." She did her best to veil her trembling voice, but it seemed to her that it only made her sound frightened.

Darien's eyes looked down into hers, "What are you afraid of?"

"Nothing!" Serena quickly shouted.

At her quick response Darien frowned, "I've come to give you something." He said, changing the subject.

Nodding, Serena said, "What is it?"

"Guess," he said lightly.

Serena scowled at him, "I hate guessing!"

"Too bad," he drawled teasingly, "You have to guess or else I'm not giving it to you."

The adorable pout that crossed Serena's lips made Darien long to kiss them, but he refrained.

"Alright then," she said, "is it…a…oh come on!" she shouted, "Just give it to me!"

Serena watched as Darien shook his head at her, and reached into his pocket to withdraw a tiny rectangular box wrapped in silver wrapping paper. He held it out to her, "You shouldn't have," she said, as she extended her hand to retrieve the gift.

Darien pulled the box away from her, and smiled, "Not until you guess."

The blonde stuck out her tongue at him, "Fine then," she said, "I don't want it." And she turned to unlock the door.

Darien's eyes gleamed, "Alright then," he said, "If that's what you want." And slowly he turned to leave.

"Darien!" Serena shouted.

Smiling inwardly, Darien was outwardly composed as he turned to stare at Serena, "Yes?"

"What's inside the box?"

"Only if you guess," Darien said once again, enjoying the expression on Serena's face.

"Gr," she growled, "fine. Is it a…key to my very own foreign car?" She joked lightly.

A gust of wind blew as Darien laughed, "Nope. But that was my second option."

Serena gasped, "You're not serious are you? Cause you better not have!"

Darien shook his dark head, "I was joking. Here," he said, giving her the box, "open it."

Carefully Serena peeled off the tape, slowly unraveling the present, "Can you hurry up?" Darien said impatiently.

"No."

"It's just wrapping paper," Darien said with irritation as Serena set the box down on the ledge around the roof, to fold the wrapping paper into a neat square.

Grabbing the box in an attempt to open the package for her, Darien was thwarted when Serena launched herself at him, "Get your hands off my present!"

"I bought it!" he exclaimed.

When she had the box in her hands once more Serena glared at him, "Mine," she purred.

"Just hurry up."

With wobbly hands Serena lifted the top of the box off to reveal…, "A cell pone?"

Darien nodded, and reached into his pocket to take out his, "It's so that I can contact you."

"You really shouldn't have," Serena said shakily.

"You don't like it?" Darien asked.

"No, it's not that," Serena said abruptly, "It's just that it was probably really expensive and…well…I don't think I can afford to pay the phone bill."

"It's okay," Darien said, "I'm paying for it all. Besides, it's only so that I can call you."

"I—thank you," Serena said.

"It'll come in handy when I want to talk to you late at night, you know, when I can't go to sleep," Darien said sincerely.

The tears that Serena had been withholding all day long broke the dam that she had built at that moment. In panic Darien pulled her into his arms, and ran a hand through her hair, "What's wrong? Did I make you cry?"

"No, no," Serena said, "It's just that…I'm overwhelmed. Why would you want to speak to me anyways?"

"Oh don't you know?" Darien said with a smile, "You can always make me feel better! It would be nice to hear your voice before I fall asleep."

Inundated by his unintentional sweet words Serena pushed away from him, "I—I have to go inside now." She said.

Darien only nodded at her, understanding her predicament, "Go ahead," he replied.

Serena nodded her good-bye, and then opened the door to her apartment and went inside; leaving a perplex Darien behind. After a moment Darien scratched his head then turned to leave. How very odd of her, he thought, in all the time he'd spent with her he'd never seen her shed a single tear.

_Chiba's Mansion_

The resounding thud of Elaine's hand coming into contact with Darien's face set a silence among the family members in the study. Darien's cheek glowed red form his mother's slap. The elder lady was breathing in shallow breaths as she glared at her son, fire dancing in her eyes of blue. Her regal features were harsh with the outrage that emanated from her.

"I've told you time and time before to avoid creating scandals! And look what I found upon arriving home today!" She shouted her voice shrill, "Two magazines with scandals created by you and your women!"

Rei's eyes watered with pain for her brother, "Mom, please—"

"I don't want to hear anything from you Rei! I'm speaking with your brother!" She turned her gaze back onto Darien; "Well!" she barked at him, "What do you have to say for yourself?"

"Father, please," Rei exclaimed, "Darien didn't do anything wrong!"

Mr. Chiba lounged upon an arm chair observing Darien's hardened face, "I wouldn't be talking if I were you, Rei," he warned not even looking at her, "a daughter who quits school is no daughter of mine."

Gasping at her father's cold set down Rei backed away from him, "I haven't quit school!"

"You two are a disgrace!" Elaine shouted, throwing her hands in the air for emphasis. "The next time you go to a hotel with this—this Reizei—be sure you're at least discreet!" she berated Darien, who only observed her with an air of indifference, "And this blonde you were found holding underneath a tree with, you should know better than to do this type of stuff in public!"

At the mention of the earlier event that day Darien's eyes flashed with concern, "That only happened this morning, how did it already get out into the papers?" His voice appeared to be cold and detached, though internally he feared that he had wronged Serena in the eyes of the public.

"_Tokyo Teens_ called me today to see if I knew who the young lady was! Luckily I was able to bribe them from displaying such a humiliating thing on the cover of their magazine!"

Darien, relieved that nothing had been published about Serena, returned to his aloof persona, "That's good to here," he drawled.

His remark earned him another slap in the face, "I paid them off with 115,665 yen, you ungrateful child! It was hard-earned money!"

"And you, Rei!" Elaine shouted, pointing an elegant finger at her daughter, "You dropped out of school in the States without ever consulting your father or me! What were you thinking? Do you think it's just play money that we used to send you there, and to put you into a top University?"

Rei shook her head, "You better look me in the eye and answer me!" Elaine screamed.

Rei did just that, and in return her mother began to assault her; kicking her, slapping her, pulling her hair. And all the while Rei sobbed in mercy.

"Please," Rei begged, "I can explain!"

Sickened by his mother's cruelty Darien grabbed her hand before it could strike Rei once more, "You have no right to do what you are doing." He said in a low voice.

Elaine's eyes widened, "Should I have your father teach you a lesson, boy? I have every right to treat you two as so for besmirching our family name!" She swung her other hand, which had been clutching Rei's hair, at Darien, but he caught it easily.

"You dare defy me!" Elaine shouted.

"You will not touch her," Darien said with finality, letting go of his mother's hands, before dragging Rei from the room.

As he closed the door he saw the look of outrage on his father's face; a muscle moved spasmodically in the side of his cheek that burned red with his fury. Darien shook at the sight; Rei was lucky it hadn't been their father who had beaten her. Because if it was him, there was little Darien could have done to save her.

Darien held a sleeping Rei in his arms as they lay upon his bed. Every once in a while she would hiccup, a sign that she had cried herself to sleep. He looked down at her tear streaked face, and sadness washed over him. He should have protected her better, but he failed in the task. He stroked her hair soothingly, and kissed her forehead. To top it off, he almost got Serena's honor besmirched for his carelessness that afternoon. He didn't want to hurt her; the published story would have caused her family great trauma if reporters learned of their financial standings. Darien sighed and shook his head; Serena didn't need anymore problems in her life, he thought, he would do better to guard her image and his family name next time.

Picking up his cell phone, Darien looked at it for a moment, as though debating with himself to call Serena. Having her on speed-dial, Darien pressed two. At the first ring he hung up. It was late, he decided, she was probably sleeping. He resolved to go to bed.

_Serena's Dream_

_"Go Serena," a female voice shouted, "Run away!"_

_The little blonde girl turned to stare at her mother, "Are you coming, Mommy?" She asked with wide eyes filled with fear._

_The tall blonde shook her head, "Go now! Before the men get you! I'll try to hold them off!"_

_"But Mommy," the tiny girl shouted, "I want you to come with me!"_

_"No, Serena, you must run!" _

_"Why are they in our house?" Serena began to sob_

_"Because they're bad men who wants to take our money. Will you be a good girl?" The lady asked._

_Serena nodded, "Yes mommy."_

_"Then do as I say, and leave through the secret passage way!"_

_A loud boom was heard from somewhere within the mansion. The tiny girl flinched, "Will you be okay?" She directed her question to her mother._

_"Yes," she replied, before kissing the child on her forehead and directing her to the passageway that was hidden underneath the floorboards, "Here Serena," she said, stopping the girl, "Take this necklace," her mother removed the jewlery that hung from her neck and placed it around the neck of her daughter's. "Don't loose it, now." She cautioned._

_Serena nodded, "How old are you now, child?" Her mother asked._

_"I'm four."_

_"I'll find you again, darling! I swear I'll find you before your twenty-first birthday! Now go, and remember that I love you, Serena! I love you!"_

_Darkness devoured the little girl's vision as her mother swung the floorboards over the opening passageway. She stopped momentarily on her journey down the dark stairs as she heard a loud boom from up above. _

_"It's over Serenity," a hideous male voice said._

_And then she heard her mother's scream of agony. Silence only ensued._

Serena woke with a start. She was drenched in cold sweat; her breathing labored. What was it that she had dreamed about? It was the same dream she had been having for a long while now. But it was different somehow. There had been much more details than just the frantic voices of her younger self and that lady who she had called Mother. It was all preposterous though, she reasoned. Her mother and father were in their own beds at the moment.

What was the name of her Mother in the dream? In her previous visions, she had never learnt the name of the women. But the dream had become much more detailed, it revealed of a plot that explained the conflict within it. Men had broken into the house to try to take something of great value. Money, the woman had said, Serena remember. The men had wanted to take their money. She frowned, what did it all mean?

Turning in her bed Serena's gaze fell upon her gift on the nightstand. With trembling hands she grabbed it. She stayed like that for a minute or so with her cell phone clutched in her hand, debating on whether she should call Darien. It was already one in the morning, Serena noted, as she looked at the time. It was too late to call him, she decided, before placing her cell phone back onto the nightstand.

She fell asleep thinking of Darien's sweet words. He wanted her to be the last person he spoke to before he fell asleep; too bad he just didn't understand how touching his words had been to her.

"I got it!" Serena shouted as she walked out of the bathroom with her toothbrush in hand. She had woken up at nine that morning to make breakfast, and now she had just finished brushing her teeth before she would wake up her parents to come and eat the morning meal. As she passed her parent's bedroom, Serena heard the snoring of her father and the grumbling of her mother, and smiled.

"Who is it?" Serena called to the other side of the door.

"It's me!" Lita shouted.

Surprised, Serena quickly unlocked the door and opened it. "What are you doing here at ten in the morning? We haven't even eaten breakfast yet!"

The brunette laughed, "Unlike you and your family, the rest of the world dines before ten."

"Har, har," Serena said, sidestepping to allow her friend entry into the apartment. "So," she said, observing the package Lita held in her hands, "What are you doing here?"

"What?" Lita asked, "Can't a friend just come over to help a friend get ready for a party tonight?"

Serena grunted, "Um the party begins at six Lita."

"Believe me, sister, you've got to get ready hours in advance for these types of things."

A small smile appeared on Serena's lips, "Yeah, since I've got to find something nice to wear too." Lita followed her friend into her bedroom.

"No worries, Serena," Lita said with a bright smile, "Your friend's got your back! Look at what I've brought for you!" She handed Serena Darien's gift.

"Oh no Lita, you didn't have to!" She protested.

"It was no problem really," Lita said.

Serena sighed, "First a gift from Darien and then a gift from you. Did someone change my birthday?"

Astonished by Serena's admission, Lita asked, "D-Darien b-bought you something too?" She stuttered terribly, "What did he get you?"

"Look on my nightstand," Serena answered.

Confused, Lita did as she was told; she looked at the disarray of papers, the stacks of novels, and the extra change that littered the top of Serena's nightstand. "I don't see anything."

"It's right here," Serena said as she pulled it from underneath a sheet of paper that had moved to cover the phone.

With wide eyes, Lita took the gift in her hands, "He got you a cell phone too?"

"No, just a cell phone. What else could he possibly have given me?" Serena laughed.

Lita paled, and then chucked to conceal her mistake, "Heh, yeah. You know what I mean. Open the gift!" She averted the conversation.

"Okay, okay," Serena said with a happy smile.

Slowly Serena began to lift the top off the box, and began to remove the dress from the white tissue paper.

"I hope you like it," Lita said, even though she had never seen the dress herself.

"So do I," Serena replied; Lita slapped her over the head playfully.

"You better like it!" Lita shouted with mock anger.

Serena was speechless as she looked at the beautiful dress that she beheld in her hands, "How much did you pay for this?"

Lita heard the rage in her voice, "Only 17,349 yen! It…was on, uh, sale! Yeah, it was on sale!"

The blonde's eyes lowered with suspicion. Finally after a moment, she looked at the dress again. "Thank you," she whispered, "I love it!"


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: **All rights to Sailor Moon reserved to Naoko Takeuchi.

* * *

Jack looked around at the many eager faces that stood in the mob outside of the Ainos' mansion. The crowd consisted of civilians who were loud and overly excited to get a glimpse of their favorite stars. It was just his luck that he and Mitch got stuck right in the center of the rowdy herd. The boss wouldn't be happy to see that their photos were all messed up as unknown limbs would undoubtedly appear at the corner of each picture. 

This was the biggest night of the month, and his one ticket to a promotion, yet he found that fate must not have been on his side. Jack ran a hand through his dark locks and let his gaze travel to the grand staircase that led to the front of the mansion. All of the big-time magazines and reporters had already lined up on the sides of the steps early in the morning; it was his fault he didn't think to do the same.

He was new in Japan; therefore he couldn't be blamed for his mistake. How would he know that functions thrown by the Ainos' meant the Oscars in the U.S? Upon arriving a week ago, his new boss, Jin, had assigned him the duty of covering the party. He didn't think or ponder upon the reason why so many of his co-workers had given him envious looks.

Now he knew.

Since the beginning of the hour, eight o'clock, stars from all over Asia were arriving in luxurious cars and limousines; they came in all different colors. They walked up the staircase, parading themselves, glittering in diamonds, emeralds and rubies, garbed in silks, and stopped occasionally to flash their bright smiles at the cameras.

And the crowd went wild. Screaming and shouting, hooting and hollering, as each of Japan's ultrarich arrived upon the scene. He couldn't blame the fans; the event was very extravagant, and though he was an outsider, he was astounded by the bright lights and glamorous air that surrounded them.

"Hey Jack," Mitch tapped his colleague upon his shoulder, "Look at that."

Mitch also came from the states, and so he knew little about these affairs. But he did know one thing; the beaten yellow taxi that pulled up in front of the stairway was not the common vehicle that one would ride to a luxurious party as this. The crowd had gone suddenly quiet. The soft moaning from the engine of the car was the only audible sound.

"What the—" Jack had finally spotted the taxi. "Dumb teenagers these days," Mitch heard him say, "Always pulling pranks. They should know that no one is admitted without an invitation."

Mitch shook his blond head, "At least this will make the write up more interesting." He raised his camera to take a couple of shots of the taxi.

Jack laughed, "You're right; these rendezvous are such a drag. Just wait until we see who gets out of the car."

Mitch didn't reply. Silence only answered Jack.

Turning, Jack aimed to make a joke about Mitch's lack of concentration.

His mouth fell open instead.

She thought she'd be sick. She hoped she would, because then she wouldn't have to attend Mina's party. In the car ride there, Serena had been wringing her hands with fright. Her rapid heartbeat didn't help matters; it only made her sweat.

The blur of passing buildings flew by the taxi window, and she tried to distract herself with them, but couldn't seem to pry her thoughts away from the oncoming night. In the mirror at home she felt like laughing at herself. She looked just like one of them; one of the super-rich. For the night, she was a dressed up doll.

But now as the taxi pulled up in front of mansion, she knew facing the flashing cameras and gaping stares of onlookers were inevitable. She fixed herself into a mess. Now all she could do was draw up her courage to get her through the night; at least for a couple of hours.

"Are you sure this is the place?"

Serena pulled out of her thoughts. She took a deep breath before smiling at the cab driver.

"Yes," She replied; forcing serenity upon her face. Her calm composure seemed to soothe the man's frown.

"You'll be eaten alive out there, I say," He warned her.

"It's a risk I'll have to take."

"Will you need assistance, ma'am?" He queried; his tone friendly.

"I would, thank you," she replied meekly.

Nodding, the man stepped out of the car and began walking around the vehicle.

Serena braced herself, for the gawking crowd. This wasn't going to be pretty, but she would have to do it for Mina.

As her car door opened wide for her to exit, Serena was surprised by the silence that spilled into the car. She blushed with embarrassment; knowing that it had been her that caused the sudden stillness in the crowd. They all were waiting for her, she knew.

Slowly stepping into the bright lights that illuminated the stairs up to the mansion, immediate whispers filled the air; something that Serena was accustomed to already. Akita had prepared her well for this. She had become everyone's favorite TV show. As she walked down the hallways of the school, she heard classmates speak of her every action with Darien and Mina. She didn't know what kind of pleasure one would be able to derive by watching her that made everyone tune in to her life and her affairs. And she was downright furious too.

By the end of the week, Serena had been itching for a fight; for some kind of confrontation from Reizei, so she could have an excuse to swing her fist at someone. It had been years since Serena had used her fist to get her ways. And that was when she was still practically living on the streets in high school, working the worst jobs just to help her parents keep a roof over their heads. After she ended up in the hospital from a severe injury to her head during one of her street fights, she decided to reserve her hands for better use.

Her fists couldn't help her now, however. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she registered the sound of the car doors closing before it started up again and zoomed off of the Ainos' property, but she didn't move.

All eyes were on her.

She suspected they were ready for her to start laughing and admit that her arrival in a taxi was just a joke, by the expectant looks they gave her. She was sorry that they wouldn't be getting their way; for her presence here was no joke at all.

Gathering her wits, Serena walked up the stairs. Heat rose to her cheeks when she nearly toppled over. Settling herself, Serena turned to glare at the train of her ivory gown. Without faltering, Serena reached down to pick up her train before smiling at the, now bewildered, crowd.

Cameras immediately began flashing like lightning, however, the lights that blinked at her struck more often than the natural lightning. She felt like a deer caught in headlights.

She hid her fear well though. To the audience, she gave the appearance of a beautiful and refined young woman. Serena exuded elegance and sensuality and captivated the whole crowd.

She thought they looked ready to laugh at her.

"Do you think she was invited?" Mitch asked Jack, a thoughtful frown upon his face.

Jack was bewitched by the girl. He shrugged at his friend's question, "I'm not sure."

"I think she is," Mitch said, "Look at her dress," he pointed, "It looks to be over ten thousand dollars."

Gulping, Jack regained his composure, "Do you know who she is?"

Mitch shook his head, "We can ask around." He turned to converse with the civilians beside him. Mitch was of Japanese decent, though he was born an American. His parents, both immigrants, had brought him up traditionally, but the American culture had the stronger effect on him. Regardless, he knew the Japanese language well enough to initiate polite conversation.

After a moment he turned back to Jack, "She's unknown, Jack."

"She's beautiful."

Laughing, Mitch shook his head, "You sound infatuated."

"I think I am," Jack replied with a smile.

Serena blanched at the whispers that began to overcome the audience, but showed no outward distraught. She had heard what one of the reporters had said. They said her gown looked to be over ten thousand dollars—in American currency that is. She felt like laughing at that number. Lita wouldn't spend over a thousand on her own dress, let alone ten thousand on Serena's dress. If anything, Serena thought, Lita was the best bargain shopper there was.

"Excuse me, ma'am," A voice stopped her in her tracks.

Pivoting to stare at the man who lightly grasped her shoulder, Serena did her best to suppress her sudden urge to start barking.

"Yes, can I help you, sir," she said in a calm voice; one that she practiced many times before, and could be called cold and sometimes indifferent.

The tall blond man only smiled at her trite tone, "Can I get a picture?"

Taken aback by his question, Serena nodded dumbly, before smiling brightly, "Yes; thank you for asking."

The foreigner chuckled at her emphasis on "asking", "You looked like a deer caught in headlights when you got out of the car."

Serena laughed, her eyes glowing, "That is _exactly_ how I felt," she confessed.

"Ma'am," he queried, after he was done taking his photos, "Can I get a name?"

The pleasing smile on Serena's lips faded, "My name?"

Letting his camera fall onto his chest, the cameraman nodded, "You do have one, don't you?" He teased.

Terrified, Serena bolted from her spot and continued up the stairs.

Baffled by her spontaneous action, Mitch called after her, "Ma'am!" He began stalking her, "Ma'am!" He tried to follow her through the doors, but he was stopped by the guards. "What's your name?"

"Did you get her name?" Jack enquired as he saw Mitch's yellow head draw nearer. The American was a good head taller than most of the people in the crowd.

Mitch shook his head, still slightly bemused by the lady's action, "I couldn't."

"What do you mean?" Jack asked; his brows drew together in confusion.

"She wouldn't answer me." Mitch simply replied; the most dumbfounded expression on his face.

Jack sighed, "We'll find it out. By the end of the night we'll know her name," he promised with a gleam in his eyes.

Darien smiled charmingly at the ladies that gathered around him. They all batted their eyelashes, as they vied for his attention. If he found their attempts to get him to dance disgusting, he did not show it. His voice was warm and seductive as he spoke to each of them, bewitching them with his charisma.

He was elegantly dressed. His tuxedo well tailored to fit his tall and muscular form. The sleeves of his snowy white collared shirt were cuffed with diamond studs. Darien was suave and refined, yet aloof and mysterious. Young ladies stared longingly at the man from across the room, and even on the arms of their male escorts.

After he had excused himself from the pack of eager girls, he immediately was surrounded by a group of men who were trying to persuade him to provide the funds for a company they hoped to start; in return he would gain twenty-five percent of their stocks, and a seat on the board of directors.

His back was to the house, but he knew the exact moment Serena stepped onto the courtyard, because the men in his group stopped talking and started to stare intently at something from behind him. So did many of the other people around them. Darien turned his head slightly to the side to the look at the envious glares the females directed towards the "unknown" person.

"That can't be real," one of the men breathed with a lopsided smile on his face.

Slowly turning, Darien braced himself for the sight that had everyone captivated, and he nearly stopped breathing when his gaze fell upon the goddess standing beneath the white, rose covered, arc. He had no clue the dress he had bought for her could look like that on her. His reaction was even more violent than it was to Mina; it took all his strength to keep his feet rooted to the ground instead of bounding towards her.

Serena was dressed in an ivory gown that fitted her form like a second layer of skin, clinging to all the right places. The daring plunge of the neckline and hem of the skirt was embroidered with intricate lace. Her smooth and creamy back was bear—though not immodestly; dainty feet in stilettos peeked just beneath the gown. Yet all the while, she looked completely clueless to the stir she caused.

Serena looked very much like a fallen angel, standing all by her self at the bottom of the stairs. Her eyes were wide with a look of bewilderment imbedded within them, as she took in the elaborate party. She appeared to be untouchable, so lovely and fair; Darien couldn't help himself but to go to her.

She tried to avoid him. Upon stepping out onto the courtyard, her eyes immediately flew onto Darien. She couldn't help but admit that he was devilishly handsome tonight in his tuxedo, and that if she were to survive for a couple of hours, she'd better avoid any contact with him.

Kami wasn't on her side tonight, however.

Before she could even take a breath after she appreciatively gave Darien a once over, he turned to face her, and then started in her direction. She could not decipher his expression. Once again he looked calm, collected, and ever so sophisticated. What was he thinking? She wondered.

Serena started walking forward, however not towards Darien, but in the other direction. Somewhat amused by her action, Darien smiled, but did not let up his long purposeful stride towards her. He never thought she could look as stunning as she did tonight; hell, she probably was the sexiest thing on heels he'd seen in his life, surpassing even Mina.

Darien frowned as she became engulfed in a sea of men. Of course there were others who found her attractive, Darien berated himself. And surely, tonight, they'll all fall for her candid charm, just as he was captivated when he first met her. He couldn't blame them; she was intelligent, honest, and vivacious. The contrast between her and the many other women he'd known in his life were unending. She was the real thing, or so she appeared to be.

Take a deep breath, just take a deep breath, she tried to calm herself. Darien sure didn't know how to take a hint, Serena thought with a frown, quickening her pace.

And then she stopped in her tracks—totally ignoring the men who eagerly asked for introductions.

She was being cowardly; the truth hit her like a bullet. Darien was her friend, and yet she was afraid to confront him. The blonde shook her head, she couldn't avoid him. For the night, she had to put her feelings aside. Causing a scene by playing hide and seek with Darien was not what Mina needed. It was a time to celebrate and relax; have some fun and get a little buzzed.

Sighing with defeat, Serena slowly turned around to face the man who she could never have, her friend, Darien.

Cocking an eyebrow at the beaten expression on her face, Darien stopped. He was slightly surprised by her sudden action, but hid his shock well with a sardonic grin. "So you don't want to play your little game. That's good; you're starting to act like an adult."

Her eyes blazed at him, and Darien laughed, "I'm not playing any games."

Knocking the arrogant smug off his face with her fist was an appealing idea to Serena, but she had to think of the scandal it would cause. Damn, why did he have to be so handsome?

"Don't deny it, you were trying to ignore me again, remember how I ended it last time?" He said in an exaggerated drawl.

The reminder made Serena blush. Indeed, she did remember, who wouldn't? She had been in the cafeteria minding her own business when he had sauntered up behind her and casually told the whole school they slept together. Which was a lie, a _major_ lie; Serena thought to add.

"You wouldn't dare," she said through clenched teethes.

Once again, a slow sexy smile stretched across his lips, his eyes twinkled with mischief, "Want to find out?" He teased, crossing a leg over other, his arms folded across his chest.

"No," She bit back.

His face hardened becoming serious, "Good, now let me have this dance—"

"Excuse me miss," a short, rather stout man tapped Serena on her back, "May I have this dance?"

Serena turned to face Darien to analyze the look upon his face. He had none—well except for the lazy, bored expression he had already been wearing. She turned back to the other man and smiled, "Yes, sir, you may." She gave Darien another quick glance, letting him see her glee.

The man looked to be middle-aged, and probably already had a wife and family, Serena thought with disgust. However, he was polite and she was surprised that all he tried to do was wrestle out some information about her.

"What school do you attend, my dear?" He asked.

"Akita University, sir," she replied with a smile.

The man beamed approvingly, "And how do you like it there?"

"Oh, I love it," Serena lied through her teeth. What she really wanted to tell him was that the University was run by incompetent and cowardly men and women, with students who were conceited, selfish and downright rude and stupid.

"What is your name?"

"Tsukino Usagi, sir, but everyone calls me Serena." She winced as he clumsily stepped onto her feet.

"That's an English name, is it not?" He didn't bother to apologize, and Serena tried her best not to sound rude when she answered.

She nodded, "Yes, sir, it is."

"Interesting," he commented.

For a few more minutes, Serena let him twirl her about the dance floor, asking her personal questions about her mother and father. But what really surprised Serena, was that he never bothered to ask her about how much money her family was worth. And she was relieved by that. If he were to ask, she didn't know how she would answer.

She wasn't ashamed. It wasn't that it at all. The spectacle he would cause at the knowledge would probably draw too much attention on to her, and she didn't want that. By the end of the night, she hoped to accomplish two things. One: to make Mina happy; and two: to not be noticed.

From off the dance floor Darien watched. Damn it, the old man was holding her too close. He knew Tanaka's intentions. The man was looked up to by the top of society; and Darien knew for a fact that as he danced with Serena, he was analyzing her. If Tanaka liked her, then his stamp of approval would certainly bring Serena's status to a peak. But, still, Darien protested, he was holding her too close.

"She's beautiful, isn't she?" Malcolm had maneuvered his way from across the courtyard to stand beside his scowling friend. A small smile played on his lips as he studied Darien's expression. "Tanaka seems to be charmed by her."

Ever since Darien had arrived, he had been surrounded by drooling females and eager business men. Malcolm had not even greeted him yet; until now. He had carefully observed Darien for an hour; watching as his friend kept glancing every once in a while in Mina's direction. And though Darien always kept his emotions in check, Malcolm knew exactly how he felt.

All of that changed when Serena walked out onto the courtyard, though. She was always gorgeous, Malcolm confessed, but tonight she was absolutely stunning. If he wasn't head-over-heels for Mina, Malcolm probably would pursue Serena himself. As soon as she arrived on the scene, Darien's full attention was captivated by her. The tell-tale frown on his face was evidence enough as his dark gaze roved over Tanaka and Serena. And it took all of his discipline to stop himself from laughing at the dark-haired man beside him.

"I don't like him," was Darien's dry reply; his gaze never left the dance floor.

Taking a sip from his glass of champagne, Malcolm answered, "You don't like any of your father's friends."

A bitter smile contorted Darien's lips, "Damn right."

"And you have good reason."

"Damn right," he replied sharply again.

"And you think Serena's hot," Malcolm's eyes twinkled.

"Damn ri—"

Darien caught himself in mid-thought. He turned slowly to Malcolm, and glared. "What the fuck are you laughing about?"

"You don't have to be so uptight," his friend replied, as his laughter subsided.

"You're not funny, you know that?" he tried to make his friend squirm with his fierce look.

"Just admit it, man," Malcolm's amused expression irritated Darien, "You think she's hot, don't you?"

Shaking his head, Darien gave in. He turned his gaze back onto Serena, and watched her smile. "She's breathtaking."

At his admission, Malcolm became serious. "You bought her that dress didn't you? There's no way in hell she could afford that dress. Why'd you do it?"

"It's not what you think," Darien began, but was immediately cut off.

"Serena's a good girl and all, but Darien, maybe she's using you—"

The murderous look in Darien's eyes, as he whipped his head around, hushed Malcolm.

"She doesn't know I bought it."

Unconvinced, Malcolm rolled his eyes, "And who else would she think bought her that two million yen dress?"

"She thinks one of her friends bought it for her," from Darien's tone, Malcolm knew it would not be wise to push the subject, but he did it anyway. Just to annoy him.

"Right, and her friend happens to also be rich?"

"Not quite."

Malcolm raised a brow, "Oh, so, she'd accept—"

"She doesn't know the dress is one from Gonroku's collection, so shut up Malcolm. Serena isn't a gold-digger."

Stunned, Malcolm stuttered, "G-Gonroku? His stuff's a damn fortune! You probably paid _more_ than two million!"

His friend was infatuated. That much Malcolm already knew. But when a man buys a woman a dress from Gonroku, it meant he really must be insane about her; which made Malcolm worry for Darien. Could he really like Serena that way, more than a friend?

"I know Serena's not a gold-digger," Malcolm said as he came out of his stupor, "I'm not stupid. I was just messing with you."

"You just love to piss me off, don't you?" Darien remarked sarcastically.

"But why'd you do it?" His persistency was really starting to irritate Darien.

In honest truth, he didn't know either. When Rei and Mina had told him Serena's reaction to Mina's black-tie party, he felt a strange urge to—to be her savior? No, Darien rejected, that wasn't it. He felt sorry for her. Yeah, that was it. He wasn't convinced. He gave the idea a long moments thought and then he finally found a resolution. To put it simply, he wanted to please her, save her the trouble of finding a dress, and shield her from the hard world of the super-rich.

Malcolm watched as Darien carelessly shrugged.

"Where is your mother and father, Usagi?" Mr. Tanaka asked.

Serena was going to have blisters and bruises by the end of the night. The clumsy man had no idea just how bad he was at dancing, and Serena sure as hell was going to scream if he stepped on her foot one more time. Forcing the ache from out of her throat, she replied in what she hoped to be a pleasant voice, "They're at home."

He raised his bushy graying eyebrows in response, "What are they doing at home, when they could be here dancing?" He exclaimed.

Holding back the urge to roll her eyes, Serena smiled, "My parents were too tired to come, Mr. Tanaka."

The man didn't bother to hide his disapproval as he made a clucking noise with his tongue, "That's no excuse."

"My father's sick, sir," Serena quickly thought up a lie.

Mr. Tanaka opened his mouth, hesitated, and then closed it. After a moments pause, he nodded, "I see."

"Yes, my mother is devoted to my father, sir. She dotes on him, and waits on his hands and foot."

The shrewd man beamed and smiled at her, "The way a wife should be."

Disgusted at the thought, Serena shook her head, "In old day's, maybe."

Astonished at her opposition, Mr. Tanaka replied, "It doesn't matter what time period, dear. A wife should always tend to her husband's needs."

"Yes, but a husband should learn to do things for himself, rather than expect his wife to do everything for him." She said lightly. Serena almost cried with joy when the music began to slow down.

"Yes, I suppose," Mr. Tanaka allowed after mulling the idea for a while. "You can't have your woman running your business for you, now can you?"

Exasperated, Serena sighed, "Women are just as capable as men. If you ask me, men are the incapable ones."

Serena chuckled at Mr. Tanaka's dubious expression, "And why do you think that?"

"Men depend upon women too much. They can't do anything by themselves. Women are expected to raise the children, to clean the house, to stock the household with food, and to serve their husbands. But what are men suppose to do? Go to work and bring back money? Women can also go to work and bring back money and take care of the house and children. Men? They'd be hopeless."

Mr. Tanaka genuinely liked the girl. She had passion and spirit, and he liked that. But he sure was not use to it. Not many girls would speak to him so, and he felt a bit awkward.

"I never thought of it like that before," he laughed, after evaluating her speech.

Serena laughed with him as well, "Then I guess I've given you something to chew on, now haven't I?"

Mr. Tanaka nodded, and kindly let her go when the music stopped. "Save me another dance later on, do you hear?"

She nodded just to please him, but she balked at the thought. My precious feet, Serena whimpered, and then slowly retreated from him.

There were two large chocolate fountains across the lawn, and Serena couldn't help herself but stop to admire them. She had never seen such a contraption before, but she felt childishly giddy as she raced to grab a strawberry off a fruit tray to dip it into the chocolaty depths of the fountain. Her eyes sparkled with delight as she examined the chocolate-covered strawberry.

"Serena!"

She dropped her strawberry when she jumped.

"Oh my gosh, you look beautiful!" Mina's shrill exclamation was ear-splitting.

Frowning at her fallen strawberry, Serena turned to glower at Mina, "You made me drop my strawberry!"

Mina laughed at her friend, and shook her head before scurrying to grab Serena another strawberry, "Here," she teased, "It's on the house."

"Thanks," Serena rolled her eyes.

Mina hugged her, "How'd you get one of Gonroku's dresses?"

Dipping her strawberry into the chocolate once more, Serena paid little attention to Mina's question, "This is so cool, Mina," she gushed as she popped the fruit into her mouth.

Happy that she pleased her friend Mina beamed, "Thanks, I knew you'd like it. You're such a chocolate freak, but don't worry, Darien's one too."

At the mention of Darien's name, Serena stiffened. She had almost forgotten about him. Almost. She pretended to be amused with Mina's comment, "Oh really?"

Nodding, Mina grabbed Serena's wrist and began to drag her across the lawn. "There's so many people I want you to meet," she seemed to have forgotten all about Serena's dress.

"Slow down, horsy—whoa, is that your face?" Serena shouted, pointing towards the ice sculpture in the center of the courtyard.

Mina laughed again at Serena's incredulous expression, "I posed for that yesterday. It took the guy nearly twelve hours to get it done. You like it?"

Speechless, Serena only nodded as they zoomed right pass the finely cut block of ice.

As Mina strategically directed them through the large crowd of party-goers, they were intercepted by several elderly ladies, who Serena concluded were important on the social ladder, and eager young men begging for an acquaintance with Serena. Mina gloried in playing hostess, introducing Serena to everyone she knew. And Serena played the dummy.

She felt self-conscious as Mina showed her off like a new diamond necklace, but didn't protest because she did not want to ruin her friend's fun. Serena was afraid that the big fake smile on her face would get stuck; her cheeks were getting numb.

"Here we are," Mina suddenly stopped, and then giggled, "I told you I'd be able to find her!"

Three lovely ladies smiled at her.

"Rei, Amy, Lita!" Serena nearly cried when she saw them, "You guys don't know how good it is to see you all!"

"Is that Gonroku?" Rei stepped back after she embraced her friend, "You look gorgeous, Serena."

She gave a nervous chuckle in response, "No, Rei, _you_ look gorgeous, not me! And who's Gonroku?"

"Are you serious? You don't know who he is?" Lita's look of disbelief brought a smile onto Serena's face; a true smile that reached her eyes.

"Wait, why am I asking? Of course you don't know; you have no fashion sense." Serena's smile didn't falter at Lita's saucy tone.

"I'm serious, who is Gonroku?"

Amy came to her rescue, grabbing hold of her hands, "He's a world renowned fashion designer," and then, after giving her a good once over, added, "And it looks to me as though you're wearing one of his pieces."

Mina's mouth dropped open as she began circling her, "Oh my…" she stopped and began shaking her head in incredulity, "Oh my gosh, it is! I saw this piece in France!"

All four ladies were astonished when Serena threw back her head and laughed, "You guys, this is not a Gonroku masterpiece. Come on, where would I get the money to buy this?"

Lita began to squirm. Uh oh, Lita thought. She should have asked for _compensation_, when Darien asked her to lie for him.

"Anyways, this is Lita's."

Don't crack down Lita, she told herself, as she raised her gaze onto four pairs of eyes, don't crack down. Remember, you gave your word to Darien. She smiled, at her friends and then shrugged, trying to appear indifferent.

"I found it at a bargain store."

Mina looked disappointed at her answer, "I could've sworn that piece came from Gonroku—oh well, you still look enchanting, Serena."

When the group all nodded agreement, Serena blushed, "What's with all this flattery, I said I would come. Didn't you guys believe me?"

"Of course we believed you," Amy said.

"Well then you better stop complimenting me, all of you," she glared at them menacingly. "Besides," she added, "You all look so glamorous and sexy, I pale in comparison."

"You got that right, honey," Rei winked at her.

Serena groaned, "Of course when I said that, I meant Mina, Lita and Amy. Not you Rei, you look plain and boring."

Rei laughed at that. Dressed in a lovely strapless red gown with strappy red heels, Rei was a seductress. Her raven-black hair flowed freely down her back. And her pouty red lips beckoned to be kissed. Serena knew her comment was most absurd; one could easily see how beautiful Rei was.

"She is such a fucking slut," Tatsumi hissed angrily, eyeing Mina as she dragged the blonde girl that had stolen her date's attention into the crowd.

"Now, now, Tatsumi," Reizei said soothingly to her friend, "Minako isn't all that bad."

Tatsumi flipped her dark hair over her shoulder as she turned to stare at Reizei, "Look at her dress, might as well not wear anything at all. The silk is practically see-through."

Her friend's observation was true, Reizei agreed mentally; watching the way Mina seemed to glory in the attention the men were giving her. The thin orange silk of Mina's dress barely concealed her breasts as the neckline plummeted all the way down to her navel. Reizei couldn't complain though, she would have worn that dress too if it were hers.

It was Mina's little friend that had her worried, not Mina. She was not blind to the way the majority of the males reacted to Serena as she came down the stairs. And she was not at all happy with that. No, siree. The little bitch, looking so refined and elegant, was going to learn a lesson tonight. A lesson she'd never forget.

Reizei snickered.

Nothing could describe Reizei's outrage when she saw the petite blonde gracefully descend from the stairs in one of Gonroku's famous pieces. She could not believe that a dirty little street-girl could possibly get into one of the Aino's affairs, nonetheless own a dress so fine. Rage burned deep within her. Darien had bought her the dress, she concluded. Yes, that explained it. She wondered what the little slut had to do to get Darien to buy it for her.

"Isn't she that one—" Tatsumi began, lifting finger to point at Serena.

"Yes, she is," Tatsumi's eyes widened at her companion's surly tone.

"You think so?" She queried, her expression quizzical, "But I thought she's suppose to be poor—"

"She is a beggar," Reizei nearly barked, her hands clenched at her sides.

"But her dress—"

"I'm guessing she probably slept around to get something like that—she's probably good at it too."

Tatsumi shivered at the sinister look in Reizei's eyes, and then after a moment, she smiled, "Are you going to do what I think you're going to do?"

The menacing smile that tugged at the corner of Reizei's blood-red lips was answer enough, as they shared a conspiratorial look.

"I'm going to ruin that bitch, and then I'm going to get Darien all to myself," Reizei laughed.

"How are you going to do that?" Tatsumi's tone was mocking. She moved closer to Reizei, "You're not going to cause a scene are you?"

The red head laughed, "Yeah right, and ruin _my_ image? You've got to be kidding."

"Then how are you going to do it?" Tatsumi eagerly questioned.

She watched as Reizei turned to look over the people in the courtyard. A long second passed, and when Reizei finally turned back to her, Tatsumi persisted, "Well?"

"We all know that Mina and Darien were couples, right?"

Nodding, Tatsumi leaned in closer, holding her goblet up against her chest, "Yeah, so?"

"Serena doesn't know that," Reizei cast a meaningful glance back to Serena and Mina.

"But Darien and Mina aren't together anymore."

"But we all know that he still has feelings for her."

Tatsumi's brows drew together in confusion, "He does?"

"That's what I'm going to tell, Serena," Reizei explained.

"What will that do?"

"Oh, you're so clueless, Tatsumi," Reizei cooed, "Serena likes Darien, but she's best friends with his ex, which he still has feelings for. Think how she will react when I tell her that little lie, she'd be devastated!"

Their malicious laughter turned heads in their direction.

A puzzled expression marred Zachary's forehead as he stopped in front of the bar. Where the hell was the bartender? He wondered. Thinking that he was probably using the restroom or somewhere conversing with guests, he craned his neck to the right and then to the left looking for the man.

He sighed, giving up when he could not find him. That was no problem, he said to himself, he'd just get behind the bar and grab the drinks for the guys and him. Running a hand along the smooth-black marble countertop, Zachary made his way, around the bar. A trace of a smile lingered on his lips at the conversation he and the guys had just shared.

Shouting was the first thought that came to mind when he tripped over a leg, but he held it in as he recognized the sleeping bartender on the floor. He frowned; he damn well could have sprained an ankle. Shaking his head with dismay, he crouched down to wake up the man.

"Hey," He prodded the man's shoulders. "Get up, and do your job. The Aino's aren't paying you to sleep." His tone was not at all gentle.

The bartender rolled his head towards Zachary and yawned. Zachary recoiled at the stench of the man's breath. So you've been drinking, Zach noted, no wonder why you're knocked out. He tried one more futile attempt at waking the man before he got on his knees and wrapped his arms around the bartender's shoulders, and pulled. Propping him up against the back wall, Zachary moved away to examine his handy work.

Remembering his initial goal to get drinks, he turned around to stare at the shelves beneath the counter, still in his crouched position, to find some scotch. He ran a hand over the wine bottles, looking for the harder liquor, and was just about to give up when he found a stash beneath the sink. He smiled, "Here we are," he said jovially.

"Can I get a water bottle?"

Zachary jumped at the question, surprised beyond belief, and struck his head under the counter.

"Shit," he shouted, rubbing a hand over his scalp. He stood, looking up at the person who had disturbed him.

He froze, momentarily taken aback. And then he gave the woman one of his charming grins.

"Oh, my," the blue-haired girl breathed, "I'm terribly sorry, sir, did I give you a fright?"

Zachary winced just for show, "Yes you did, ma'am." He set the scotch atop the counter as he leaned forward on his elbows toward the beauty that looked at him with big aquamarine eyes. His smile broadened as she blushed.

"Let me see," she said in a barely audible voice. She crooked a finger at him, beckoning him to com closer.

Laughing, Zach, shook his head, "That's okay," he said, "I have a hard head."

He watched, slightly surprised, slightly amused when the girl reached over the counter and grabbed him by the head to bring him closer. "Plan to be a doctor someday?" He joked.

"Yes," she replied, which surprised him even more. He had only been teasing, thinking that she probably was only trying to flirt with him.

After a minute, he decided he liked her gentle ministrations. Her fingers slowly glided over the top of his head, her touch almost feather-like, sending shivers down his spine. The moment was ruined, however, when her fingers brushed against the bump on his head.

He jerked his head back, and was amazed to see her hand over her mouth, with her shoulders shaking with mirth.

"Some doctor you will be," he said dryly, "You're not supposed to laugh at a patient."

The girl shook her head, "Oh no," she choked, trying to calm her laughter, "Examining your bump just reminded me of a friend."

Zachary cocked an eyebrow at her, "How many skulls have you examined?"

He decided he liked her smile too, she was really pretty, "You mean in real life, or in pictures?"

"In real life," he replied.

She pulled his head back towards her, and Zachary made no movement to stop her.

"Just one before you," she answered, her voice brimming with laughter, "I was waiting at a restaurant for my friend to join me for lunch. She was late you see," the girl babbled, running a hand against his bump, "But when she bounded into the building, her hands were all bandaged and a visible bump on the back of her head made her hair unruly."

Zachary tried to conjure the image, "What happened to her?" He asked.

She chuckled, "She told me she burned her hands grabbing a cookie."

The thought was so unbelievable, Zachary couldn't contain his laughter. He watched as her eyes lit up with delight as she too joined him in his amusement. When their breaths grew short, they finally stopped.

"How did that happen?" Zachary prodded for the whole story, and when she finished telling it, he was back to shaking with hilarity once again.

"I feel sorry for your friend," he said, taking her hands in his. For some reason, there was just something about this girl that he liked. She blushed again, and he could tell that she was becoming uncomfortable with him being so intimate. He didn't let go; he didn't care.

"You shouldn't feel sorry for her," an impish gleam sparkled in her eyes at her words.

Unable to resist, Zachary asked, bending his head closer to hers, "Why not?"

"She'd come hunt you down and shoot you."

Her outrageous remark sent Zachary into silence for a moment, and then his lips quirked up in a wayward smile, "Why's that?"

"Because she doesn't like other people sympathizing for her."

Confused by her remark, he just shook his head, "You have one strange friend."

"I admire her," she gave him a hesitant smile.

"Then you're strange too," Zachary frowned at himself, he was making a mockery of words. Her eyes were bewitching him; yes, he thought, her eyes were making him loose his mind.

"Thank you," her smile widened. Lightly she squeezed his hand.

They shared a glance, but she quickly looked away. Zachary decided he liked the way she was easily embarrassed, it was refreshing. Throughout their conversation he had been subtly giving her figure a quick once-over, and decided she was quite attractive. She had a lovely white complexion, with wonderful aquamarine eyes framed in russet eyelashes, and though she did not have the wide curves of the many women he previously entertained himself with, he was attracted to her.

He leaned in towards her, his intention, well understood. He would kiss her, taste her sweet lips that he'd been staring at for the past fifteen minutes. Zachary stared into her eyes—both opened wide with curiosity—making him wonder what her game was. She didn't have to pretend to be so innocent. To hell with the virginal image women carried about, he thought, they slept around just as men do.

As he inched nearer, he could see a flash of fear in her eyes. "You best put ice on that bump," she whispered, withdrawing from him.

Zachary snapped upright, his eyes lowered, as he stared at her warily, "You aren't serious, are you?" He was thinking about how she had made such a stupid remark just before he was about to put them both out of their misery and kiss her.

"Yes, I'm quite serious," she replied, nodding emphatically, "I'm training to become a doctor, and so I know a bad bruise when I see one; you'd best do as I say."

His normal reaction would have been to groan, but the serious look in her eyes told him she was not teasing him He watched her for a minute, as her gaze nervously darted from one champagne bottle to another on the shelves along the back wall. "Here you go," he said in a monotone, reaching down into the cooler to pull out a water bottle for her, "This is what you wanted right?"

She visibly cringed at his cold attitude, and then nodded, "Yes, thank you," she said meekly.

"You're welcome."

Zachary watched as she gave him an apologetic look before turning and walking back into the crowd. "Wait," he shouted, though he did not know why. He had already decided that playing with some girl who had a secret agenda wasn't good at all, but there was something compelling about the blue-haired soon-to-be doctor that drew him to her. "What's your name?" He asked as she slowly turned to face him.

"Amy," she replied, "My friends call me Amy." And without another word, she walked away.

"What the hell took you so long, Zach?" Nathan asked, as his friend finally reappeared, "I was getting dehydrated."

Zachary cocked an eyebrow at him, "Then maybe next time you should go get yourself a drink. The damn bartender got drunk and fell asleep behind the counter."

"No shit," Andrew smiled.

"Yeah," Zach said absently, his mind still on Amy.

"I should go tell Mina," Darien grimaced, anticipating Mina's reaction.

"You go do that," Andrew laughed. They all knew that Mina would blow up. She wanted _everything _to be perfect. When she learned that her bartender was drunk and that there was no one at the bar to take his place, she was going to go ballistics.

The five men stood from across the courtyard, watching Darien as he moved purposefully towards a group of girls where Mina stood.

"Whoa," Nathan smiled, "Never seen that hottie before." His gaze lingered on a green-eyed brunette girl who wore an old fashion emerald velvet gown.

"Hands off, buddy," Malcolm laughed, "She's one of Serena's friends; don't touch her if you don't plan to initiate a long term relationship."

From the gleam in Nathan's eyes, Malcolm knew he probably thought the idea had merit. Staring at his friend, Malcolm shook his head, "Don't even think about it. We know the types of relationships you like."

Nathan gave Malcolm a sheepish grin, "And what types of relationships do I like, huh?" He challenged, raising an arrogant eyebrow.

In unison, his four friends answered, "One night stands."

Each, Zachary, Malcolm, Andrew, and James, wore smug smiles on their face as Nathan glowered at them.

"A man can dream, can't he?" Nathan bit out dryly. They all knew what he was implying.

James lightly punched him in the arm, "Yeah sure; that's if you want Serena to come and kill you."

The expression on Nathan's face faltered, "You got a point."

Andrew gave Serena an appreciative glance, but then he stiffened. "Is that Gonroku she's wearing?"

Malcolm nodded, a lopsided grin on his face, "Yep," he drawled.

"Did she buy that herself?" Andrew's tone was almost hostile.

"Nope," Malcolm's smile spread from ear to ear.

"Who bought her the damn dress, Mal?" Andrew demanded.

"Darien did," relishing the look on Andrew's face when he finally absorbed the full meaning of his words, Malcolm chuckled.

"Don't look so distraught," Zachary patted his friend on the back, "Darien isn't interested in her; well not in a sexual way anyway."

"He bought her a piece from Gonroku's collection," Andrew said threw gritted teeth, "Darien has to have some kind of feeling for her—"

"He loves her," Malcolm stated calmly, "He loves her like a sister."

"Yeah," James added, "She doesn't have the best. We all know that, he probably just wanted to give her something special."

"Maybe I should stake my claim," Andrew said quietly; more to himself than to his friends.

"If Serena heard you talking like that about her," Zachary elbowed him, "She'd kick your ass."

"What do you mean?"

"You know Serena," Zachary took a sip of his scotch. "She's so obstinate and independent. If she hears you talking about her like she's some kind of property you can stake a claim on, she'd never speak to you again."

Andrew gave that a thought and smiled; Zachary was right. Serena had a temper, and he didn't know how he was going to handle her. All he knew was that he couldn't let her go.

"She looks beautiful tonight," Andrew tilted his head in Serena's direction, noticing the way the lights hung above the courtyard seemed to sparkle off her shimmering tresses of golden hair that was pulled up in a high bun.

"You're starting to sound like a love-sick puppy," James said with disgust.

"I think I like being a love-sick puppy," Andrew replied, almost dreamily.

"You're sick, you know that," Nathan laughed.

"Love-sick," Andrew amended with a goofy grin.

"No," Malcolm shook his head, "Mentally sick."

The all burst out laughing.

"Mina," Serena turned around at the sound of Darien's gentle voice.

A seductive grin was plastered on their hostess' lips. "I was wondering how long it would take you to come say hi." Mina laughed playfully.

Darien was unperturbed; his eyes bore into Serena's for a long second, before he turned his attention back onto Mina. "Isn't it _your _duty to come say hi to me?"

"Can't you see I'm busy?" She purposefully tilted her head towards Amy, Lita and Rei.

"Yeah well, your bartender's pretty busy too." Serena noticed the sly look in Darien's eyes. Curious, she cast her gaze towards the bar across the courtyard. Seeing that no one was there, Serena frowned at Darien and said, "What do you mean?"

"There's no one there, Darien." Mina set her glass of champagne down on a round table beside them to set on her hips.

Serena watched as a slow sensual grin took shape on his lips. Whatever he was not telling Mina, she knew was not good. Folding her arms across her chest, Serena stepped back to contemplate Darien's expression.

"Darien, where's my bartender?" The whimper from Mina seemed to enhance the mischievous gleam in the sexy man's eyes standing before them.

He smirked, and Serena wanted so much to deflate his ego. "Don't look so smug, Darien."

"I'm still waiting for my dance," his tone was firm, the devilish gleam no longer in his eyes. Scorching midnight blue eyes branded her, and Serena shivered. Thank Kami he didn't know his affect on her.

Her eyes trailed to his lips, remembering the way they felt when they had been pressed against hers, gently molding her lips to his, and then demanding her to open up wide for the entrance of his probing tongue. She flushed and then looked away, embarrassed by her thoughts. Oh how she wanted to be kissed like that by him again.

She didn't realize she had been holding her breath until she opened her mouth to reply and she began to pant for breath. Darien's brows rose in amusement, "You okay?"

"I'm fine," Serena quickly answered, "Are you asking me to dance?"

"I already asked you to dance," he sounded exasperated.

"Where's my bartender?" Mina nearly screeched, grabbing onto Darien's shoulders. "Darien you better tell me now before I wring your neck!"

Prying her fingers from his arms, Darien tried to put some space between them. He had a guilty look on his face, which Serena assumed was from his forgetfulness at the topic at hand.

"He's behind the bar," he simply stated, cautiously analyzing the murderous glint in the orange-garbed beauty.

"No he isn't!" Her tone was almost pleasant, but neither Serena nor Darien was fooled. Serena gave him a sympathetic smile, and expected it to be returned with a look of irritation, but instead he winked at her.

"Yes, he is," His eyes never left Serena's laughing ones as he replied. "He's sleeping."

"What!" Mina wailed, causing several guests standing nearby to turn and watch them suspiciously.

And with that, Darien and Serena burst into gales of mirth as they watched their hostess nearly sprint through the crowded dance floor to the bar.

Darien gave Serena a sidewise glance, noticing the way the light seemed to hit her eyes just the right way so they glimmered like sapphires. Her expression was almost childlike as she continued to stare in the direction of Mina, a smile on her lips. Ever so slowly his gaze slid down the tip of her nose onto her full pink lips, looking so welcoming and soft. His eyes darkened, remembering the feel of them against his own. And then he was admiring her long creamy neck, and the gentle swell of her breasts pressed against the fabric of her dress.

She was exquisite, he decided, and then frowned. He cleared his thoughts. Serena was his friend; that was it. There was nothing more to their relationship than that. But damn did she have the most heavenly figure and bewitching pair of eyes he'd ever seen.

Serena noticed he'd stopped laughing, and she looked up at him suspiciously. As soon as he began frowning at her, she became rigid again. A thousand barbs came into mind to ease the harsh set in his jaw, but Serena stumbled on her words and stupidly asked, "Why are you frowning?"

He was not the least bit disconcerted. Lifting a hand to caress her cheek, Darien whispered huskily, "Do you know you have the most expressive face I've ever seen?"

Her entire body seemed to lean into his touch, wanting more, enjoying the feel of his tender stroking. She was turning into putty, and she was not at all happy with that admission. When his hand fell back against his side did she finally answer. Her voice sounded like that of a frog, rough and strained, "Then I'll have to work on hiding my feelings."

Silently she watched as his eyes narrowed, scrutinizing her face, "Why?" She strained to hear his question, due to the softness of his tone.

"Because you said—"

His laughter surprised her into silence before he swept her into his arms to give her a fierce hug. Lightly he rubbed his chin against the top of her hair. Slightly amazed by his spontaneous act, Serena stiffened.

"I meant that as a compliment." Serena could feel his breath brush across her forehead, and she trembled at the intimacy. Sensing her unease, Darien gently coaxed, "Relax, I won't bite."

Serena swallowed, and gave him a smile, "You won't, but I will." She said somewhat honestly.

He brought her closer to him as he let out a bark of laughter. As the orchestra struck up a new tune, Serena drew back, and smiled up at him, a look of warm appraisal in his eyes. "I believe I owe you a dance."

Her jaunty smile was captivating, and he couldn't help but capture her lips with his. It was a chaste kiss; nothing like the one they had shared out in the moonlight on his family's estate—and most unsatisfying. He was tempted to deepen the short encounter, when he felt her bottom lip quiver against his. The feather-light contact was not at all fulfilling, but he didn't dare continue, didn't dare trust his control.

Nevertheless, he smirked when he saw her wide-eyed expression. Her angelic face was tilted towards his ever so invitingly. She had fingers as cold as ice, but he paid little attention to it as he drew her onto the dance floor to join the numerous swaying bodies.

The lilting notes of the melody swirled around her as she followed Darien towards the dance floor. Serena felt as though she were in a trance, as thought this were all a dream, and when she woke up Darien wouldn't be looking at her with such tenderness. His arms opened wide for her, and she merely stared and gulped.

"Dance with me." He said huskily.

Without hesitating, she stepped into his arms, and reveled in the feel of him holding her.

"This is a waltz." She could hear the laughter in his voice and she blushed. She hastily stepped away from him and withdrew her arms from around his shoulders.

"Oh." Her gaze was to the floor, but he did not miss the tell-tale hue in her cheeks.

Darien deliberately let one arm trail against her midriff until finally it firmly gripped her about the waist. His other hand clasped her hand in his, drawing her against the solid strength of his lithe body. Suddenly they began to whirl around and around, and Serena couldn't help but become increasingly aware of the man who lead her with the relax grace of one who had danced the waltz a thousand times before.

"Have you been enjoying yourself tonight?" Darien asked.

"It's barely been a half hour," she retorted.

Darien returned dryly, "I think you've been enjoying yourself immensely. You've got every boy in here panting after you."

Unsure whether or not she should be angered or pleased with his remark, Serena decided it was best not to answer.

He let it alone for a minute, concentrating on the music, but then he pried, "Well?"

It was easy to see the confusion in her eyes when she lifted them to stare up into his, and so he explained, "What do you have to say about all those boys watching you?"

Torn between laughter and shock at his surly tone, Serena replied with a playful smile, "I don't know what you're talking about."

Darien studied her expression for a good long moment and then chuckled, "The hell you don't." He gave her butt a gentle slap, and she jumped at the touch.

Serena should have known she was dancing with a rogue. "I hardly believe that when the Europeans created this dance, they intended for the men to grab their partners' ass."

He choked back a laugh and coughed to hide his amusement, "You think so?" He queried, his hand slipping ever lower down her waist, "I think that only the timid men held their partners by the waist…" he let his sentence trail meaningfully, as he cupped her rear. "The _real_ men are a little bit more…bold," he gave her a satisfied smirk when he heard her gasp, "If you know what I mean." Leisurely he brought his hand back up to her waist.

Shocked at hearing the distinctly sexual meaning of his remark, Serena burst into peals of laughter. No longer self-conscious, she lifted her gaze to Darien's. "And what about you?" Serena teased lightly, trying not to notice how his legs felt against hers, or how solid his arm was beneath her hand, or how much his deep voice affected her.

"I'm talking about all your admirers," she explained when he did not reply.

"What admirers?" Serena didn't fall for his act of innocence.

"You've got to be blind if you don't see how your fan club is glaring at me right now." Darien laughed out loud as she tilted her head almost haphazardly in the direction of a group of girls.

"All I see is you," he murmured, not even bothering to look in the direction she indicated. Serena's heart nearly stopped; she could feel herself being pulled into the warm glow of his eyes. And for the first time in a _long_ time, she was scared.

She was scared of the inexplicable attraction between herself and the dynamic man that held her so intimately. For once in her life, she couldn't control her actions, her words, or her thoughts. They all seemed to dissipate whenever he was near.

Serena sought desperate refuge in humor. "Yeah, well, right now your fan club is probably _seeing_ me in my grave."

His lips quirked into a half-smile. "Jealous?"

"Hardly," She scoffed.

Darien's eyes darkened, "Well _I_ was certainly jealous."

Startled, Serena's eyes flew to his. "Don't look so stunned, princess," he teased, a lazy white smile transforming his features, and softening the mocking tone in his voice. "You're gorgeous."

Reminding herself that she was to set aside all of her jumbled emotions for the night; Serena didn't think a little flirting would hurt. In what she hoped to be a seductive smile, Serena quickly replied, "You're not so bad yourself, handsome."

He didn't know whether or not she was aware of the havoc her smile caused on his nerves. Was she conscious at all of her appeal to men? She couldn't possibly be that innocent, Darien thought darkly. It was either she knew and didn't care, or she simply was oblivious to all the lustful gazes she evoked; and Darien would rather believe that she just didn't give a damn.

"Say," Serena attempted at light banter, "How'd you learn to dance so well, Darien?"

Looking down at her radiant face, Darien replied, "I could ask the same of you."

"Really," Serena said earnestly, "How'd you learn to dance so well?"

"I can't avoid answering, huh?"

"Nope," laughter lit Serena's beguiling eyes.

Sighing Darien answered, "It's something you just _can't_ learn moving around in this social circle. As a child, attending these dreary affairs week after week, I've danced with one and all."

"But waltzes are so…" Serena struggled to find the right word, "old fashion?"

Darien cocked a sardonic eyebrow at her words. "Nice," he grinned.

"Aw whatever," she raised her chin defiantly. "I didn't know that waltzes were still…danced—hey, hey, hey! Stop looking at me as though I'm stupid!"

His shoulder's shook with hilarity at her upturned, outraged face. Damn she was beautiful. "We dance the waltz, because it's tradition."

"Oh, so then how come you guys just don't make new traditions?" A thoughtful frown stretched across her forehead.

"Because that would break the old traditions," he replied matter-of-factly.

It was Serena's turn to laugh. He sounded so serious, so uptight, and so…elitist. She sobered at the thought. That was the problem. Darien _was_ an elitist. Born to a kingdom of companies and servants at his beck and call; he was a privileged man.

"What about you?"

"Huh?" Serena blinked.

"How'd you learn to dance the waltz?" Darien's hand was gently caressed her hips, which was slowly driving Serena to distraction.

"To honestly tell you the truth," her bemused expression made Darien chuckle, "I don't know."

"It's just natural, is it? Is that your excuse? You were born with the talent; dancing the waltz is as innate to you as walking?"

Serena nodded, which only amused Darien more. "It's strange really. Now that I think about it, I've never danced the waltz in my life until this moment."

"You're kidding," Darien said a little too dramatically; making Serena think his remark was more on a sarcastic note than incredulous.

She shrugged, "You don't have to believe me."

Watching the indifferent look on her face, Darien mulled over the thought, and then nodded. "I believe you."

His unconditional trust made Serena's heart flutter. Was this man real or what? She couldn't pull her gaze away from him. His charcoal black suit fit his tall, splendid frame to perfection, hugging his broad shoulders and narrow hips and outlining his long legs. It was becoming harder to ignore his wandering hand as it slowly drifted over the bare skin of her back; his touch sent shivers up her spine. And she was exhilarated, standing on tenterhooks, waiting for him to touch her somewhere else, to be bolder. But Serena knew he couldn't possibly be aware of his actions; she'd settle for anything just so long as he held her in his arms.

Darien knew exactly what he was doing, and he was already thinking of doing so much more. He watched the way the faint light above the dance floor changed her eyes into iridescent sapphires, and the way her hair shimmered like molten gold. Full lips were parted towards him, practically beseeching him to kiss them. And it didn't help that her skin was so silky under his fingertips.

When the music stopped, he reluctantly let go. "Until later," he said abruptly, managing to conceal his displeasure, before turning on his heels and marching away.

With blank eyes and arched brows, Serena watched him go. He looked so unperturbed by the strange 'connection' they'd share during their dance. "How kind of you to leave me alone on the dance floor," Serena sighed; her hand flying to the base of her throat. After a moment she saw several men heading towards her, and then fled towards Lita, Amy, and Rei.

Amy, Lita, and Rei watched in stunned disbelief at the sight Darien and Serena made. If one didn't know any better, they'd think the two were couples. Looking deep into her partner's eyes, a faint smile curved Serena's lips. Darien held her close against his lean form, which was not at all proper for a waltz.

Knowing looks were shared among the girls, before they broke into giggles. It was easy to tell that their two friends were becoming increasingly attracted to one another. And they were pleased by the fact.

Wiping the tears that came to her eyes, Rei chortled, "Is his hand on her—"

"Yes, it is," Lita immediately replied, still shaking with amusement.

"Oh boy," Amy said haggardly, "If he keeps his hand there any longer—"

"She'll be mistaken as his lover."

Three female heads whirled around in alarm at the casual voice.

James flashed them a roguish grin, "Hello ladies."

Rei beamed. "His lover?" She arched a skeptical eyebrow at him.

Shaking his head, James quietly told her he wasn't going to collaborate, "Darien would kill me."

"Why's that?" Amy smiled.

"He doesn't like people trying to analyze his actions," Rei answered wryly.

Chuckling, Lita tilt her head to the side, "I'm guessing he doesn't like psychiatrists then?"

"Nope." Rei combed a hand through her silky bangs.

"Don't tell me you've been spying on your brother all this time, Rei," James drawled playfully. He leant down and brushed his lips against her cheek.

"Yep," rolling her eyes, Rei pushed his head away. "Where are the rest of the guys?"

Pretending to look hurt, James pulled his bottom lip over his top in a pout. "Fine, fine," he mumbled dejectedly, "I know when I'm not wanted."

Laughingly, Rei took his hand in hers. James watched her fascinatingly as she dipped her head to lightly kiss the knuckles of his hand. When she heard his sharp intake of breath, she smirked.

James growled, "Minx." Feeling his dark gaze rove over the contours of her face, Rei let go of his hand.

Glancing at him through her long eyelashes, she whispered, "I'm _your_ minx."

In a roundabout change of disposition, a harsh glint lit James eyes. "No," he said in a lethal, low tone, "You are not."

The raven-haired beauty was not at all put off, she simply became more unrelenting. "Why can't you just accept that—"

"Rei, don't you understand?" Throwing up his hands to show his frustration, James glowered at her. "We can't be together!"

"Why not?" She shot back. No longer was she trying to be sweet; she was just as loud and just as irritated as he.

"Because," He yelled.

"Because of Darien?" Rei accused, "Because your best friend is my brother, is that it?"

"No, it's not," He sighed.

"The hell it isn't!" Rei objected, crossing her hands over her chest defensively.

"Excuse me," Lita interrupted, "You guys are causing a scene."

"So what!" Rei and James turned to shout at her simultaneously.

Recoiling from the blast of their set down, Lita stood back with Amy to watch the two argue. It was easy to see that both of them were crazy for each other. It seemed that Rei was hell bent upon snaring the man, while James was hell bent upon keeping their relationship platonic. Lita couldn't help but wonder why.

Amy knew exactly what was going on. James' family was greatly in debt to Darien's. If she had her story down correctly, it was common knowledge that the Hikawa family had mortgaged everything they owned just to sustain their way of life. The business was crashing, their investments failing, and their money was falling quickly through their pockets. Fortunately for them, Chiba Minoru, Darien's father, stepped in and gave them financial aid, and helped to re-build their industries and make new investments in the stock market.

James couldn't have been older than five at the time. But by the scene that she was witnessing now, Amy knew that he would never forget the good deed the Chiba family had performed for his father. He thought he was unworthy of Rei, and would never think to upset Mr. Chiba. Amy was sure she had guessed his emotions.

"Rei, you don't understand," James said calmly, clasping her shoulders, "You're like a sister to me."

"Don't you dare say that!" Rei raged, trying to shake off his hold, "You know it's not true! James, who gives a fuck about what Darien would think?"

The blond breathed a heavy sigh, "You are so damned stubborn, you know that?"

Terribly ashamed by his rejection, Rei did the only thing she could think of at the moment to make him see just how much she loved him.

She kissed him.

The force of her body flung against his, nearly sent James tumbling back, but he caught her about the waist to settle them. He tried prying her hands from around his neck, but after a moment, he lost himself completely in the kiss. Where the hell did she learn to kiss like this? He thought to himself just before he succumbed completely to his desire.

"They sure are lucky they aren't allowing the press in until Mina gives her birthday speech," Amy said with dismay at Rei and James.

"Why?" Lita asked, taking a sip from her glass of champagne.

"For one thing," Amy turned to reply, "If pictures of this are leaked out into the papers in the morning. A scandal is unpreventable."

Feeling slightly embarrassed by her ineptitude at drawing such a simple conclusion, Lita gave Amy a thankful smile. "Oh," she said lamely.

"Don't tell me that you didn't like that," Rei said gruffly as she resurfaced from the kiss.

James grabbed hold of her shoulders once more and shook her, "Of course I liked it!" He shouted in vexation, "If a random girl walked up to me on the street and kissed me like how you just did, I would have found it just as arousing!"

Rei glared at him, "Fine, if that's the way you want it then—then fine!" She stammered on her words as she pushed passed him and disappeared into the crowd.

"You shouldn't have said that," Amy stated softly.

As though he had forgotten their presence, James whipped around and stared at Amy and Lita wildly. "I'm sorry you ladies had to see that," He said politely when he had gotten over his surprised. He stood up to his full height and squared his shoulders and prepared to leave them when he saw Serena walking towards him.

"Hey," Serena smiled. She raised her hand in a wave, her cheery disposition was infectious. James couldn't help but return her bright greeting, "You're looking lovely tonight, Serena."

"You absolutely won't believe how many people have told me that tonight, James. Can't you be a little more…original?" James laughed at her expression; one twitching eyebrow arched high onto her forehead.

"Actually," he replied, "I'd believe it."

"Thank you," she replied, standing before him. "You look breath-taking tonight."

"You're out to steal all of our hearts aren't you?" James groaned; but the light in his eyes contradicted his 'terrified' outburst.

"Oh no," Serena tried to sound horrified, "Just the _Bachelor Six_'s. I'm going to rip out their hearts', and then stomp on them."

Her laughing reply wrung a smile on James lips, "You're beautiful, you know that?" He said seriously. "Inside and out."

Genuinely touched by his words Serena inclined her head, "You flatter me."

"No," he shook his head somberly, "I'm not even close to flattering you."

Uncertain of what to say, Serena hugged him instead. Wrapping her arms around him, she laid her head against his firm chest. She stifled laughter as she felt his arm hesitantly caress her back.

"Uh, Serena," he sounded a bit harassed, "You should get off me now."

Questioning eyes lifted up to his, "What?"

"Darien looks ready to kill me—no, don't turn your head," he told her as she tried to spot the man under discussion.

"Oh don't be ridiculous, James." Stepping out of his embraced, Serena placed her hands on her hips. "Darien and I—we—he—it—"

James chucked her under the chin; chuckling at her plight. "You've given me all the nouns and pronouns, do you mind giving me some adjectives to work with?"

Serena's shoulders shook with mirth, "Never mind."

"Oh, but I'm interested," He smiled, "Darien and you…?" He raised an inquisitive brow.

"We're just friends," she sighed.

From the look he gave her, she knew he didn't believe her, but he nodded brusquely before excusing himself and wandered into the crowd to find Rei.

"You two looked hot out there," was Lita's greeting as she spotted Serena.

"Me and James?" Serena sounded baffled at the thought.

"No silly," Lita smoothed a hand down her emerald dress, and then looked back up at Serena. "You and Darien."

"Oh, please," Serena said tiredly, "Drop the subject."

"Why?" Amy questioned.

"Because I've already discussed this with James and I'm in no mood to discuss it with you two." Her haughty tone was received with glares from her two friends.

"We're serious, Serena," Lita smiled, "You two have chemistry."

"We also have a friendship." Serena added.

"Yeah," Lita agreed quickly, "But you know what they say about friendships between guys and girls—"

"I know, I know," Serena interrupted, remembering James' vulgar phrase, "They can only be friends with benefits."

Lita and Amy laughed outright at Serena's forlorn tone. "That wasn't what I was going to say at all!" Lita managed to say between spasms of hilarity.

"Don't look so horrified, Serena," Amy soothed, fiddling with the spaghetti strap of her lovely ice-blue cocktail dress, "Lita was simply implying that friendships between males and females don't usually last for very long."

"Then I guess I'll just have to enjoy whatever it is that he and I share—if it is not friendship that we share—until we decide to part." Serena was huffing and it was apparent that she did not appreciate their prying.

"Oh Serena don't get all offensive now," Amy sighed, nervously wringing her hands. "We mean no harm, really."

"I know," Serena said in a weary voice, "I'm just tired and sick—sick of all the drama in my life. So, sorry, if I'm being a little…moody right now."

"Oh please," Lita rolled her eyes, "Moody is being a little too modest; you're being more of an ass."

Serena took no offense, Lita's tone was teasing, and she knew her friend meant well. "I need to use the restroom, guys," she said slowly dismissing herself.

"Go on ahead, unless, that is, you want us to come with you," Amy nodded.

Grateful Serena smiled, "No, that's okay, I'll be fine."

"Stupid bartender…I can't believe I'm actually paying that guy…this is awful…what am I gonna do?" Mina seethed. "Err…I should have hired at least two more guys to help."

"Oh Mina, do stop talking to yourself," her mother warned, coming up behind her.

Startled Mina stopped her mumbling before turning around to embrace Aino Takzuru. "Mom, thank you," she whispered against her mother's hair, "Thank you for this party!"

"You deserved it, darling," Takzuru cooed, patting her daughter's back. "Though you should have informed me upon the dress you were choosing to wear—that gown is entirely too—too revealing!"

Mina's head drooped at her mother's appalled tone. "You don't think I look decent in it?"

"No, I'm sorry, darling," her mother pushed her arms length to look upon her face, "I didn't mean to say that you looked indecent. In fact you look rather ravishing—I can tell by the way the young men look at you—but the gown is what I'm worried about. It's not…conservative."

Realizing that she had not _entirely_ disappointed her mother, Mina returned to her cheerfulness, "Oh, Mom, this is all the rage in Paris."

"I sent you to Paris, Mina, to study, not to shop."

Crushed once again by her mother's cool set down, Mina sighed, "Yes, mother."

"Oh look there's Darien, doesn't he look just handsome tonight?" Mrs. Aino smiled as her gaze fell upon the young man.

"It's been a while since I've spoken to him. Come on, Mina, don't just stand there; reacquaint us."

"You already _know_ him, Mom." Mina reminded with a shake of her head.

"Yes but it is a bit awkward after all this time, so you must come and break the ice. Hurry," her mother ordered as she began walking towards Darien.

"I am _so_ telling Daddy that you have a _thing_ for Darien," Mina teased as she caught up with her mother.

"Oh brother, do go ahead. It's what your father needs," Mrs. Aino laughed, "He has a big inflated ego and I fear that it is all my doing, you know, allowing him to believe he's so superior."

"You and Father," Mina said with another shake of her head, "Act like little kids. Must you two always try to spite one another?"

"Oh it's just a bit of teasing, darling," her mother raised her hand and flung her wrist back as if to dismiss their conversation. "I think he's spotted us." She said, referring to the dynamic young man standing just a few ways ahead of them.

"Darien, it's been a long time!" Mrs. Aino exclaimed, extending an elegant hand for him to take.

"Indeed, it has," Darien replied politely, taking the proffered hand and kissing it.

Takzuru beamed at his gesture, "How gentlemanly! I really need to see you a lot more, dear. How have you been? Oh and where are your parents' tonight?" She was absolutely thrilled at the sight of his charming smile.

"I'm doing quite well, thank you for asking, Takzuru," Darien replied courteously, as how he would answer any of the elder's here tonight. "And my parents', I'm afraid, left this morning on an urgent business trip. I am to give you their regard and relay their apologies."

A let-down expression marred Mrs. Aino's face for a moment, "That really is too bad. They've been so busy lately; maybe sometime when they are free you, Rei and both your parents can come over and have dinner with us."

"I'll look forward to that," Darien replied.

"As I told you, Mother," Mina said in a sing-song voice, "You did not need me here to 'break the ice'; you've already got him to accept a dinner invitation in less than two minutes."

"Do hush up, Mina," her mother gave her a warning look.

Darien watched with amusement at Takzuru's embarrassed tone. He always liked Mina's mother. There was a time—a long, long time ago, probably when he was a boy—when he had harbored the dream that his mother would someday treat him as Takzuru treated Mina; with love and affection, not just polite cordiality. But that thought had been squashed a long time ago too. His parent's were incapable of love.

Realizing that he was frowning with distaste at his thoughts, Darien composed himself once more. "And how are you doing?" He asked warmly to Mrs. Aino, who was still squabbling with Mina.

"Oh, I'm just fine, dear. As fine as any aging lady would be. You know, as I looked into the mirror just a few hours ago, before the guests had arrived, I almost couldn't recognize myself. I am becoming excruciatingly old!"

Darien chuckled lightly at the dire note in her voice, "Surely not! You look just as beautiful as Mina."

Takzuru smiled at him; her whole face glowing. "If you think to flatter me, well…it's working young man!"

"He's only being polite," Mina rudely remarked.

"Beauty _definitely _runs in the family," Darien contradicted.

"You're too charming, you know that?" Mrs. Aino sighed. "There's your father, Mina," she said as she spotted her husband waving to her. "It appears as though he wants me to go over there—darn it, I dislike Tanaka."

She waited a while, continuing to watch as her husband, Hiroshi, fiercely beckoned her to come join him. "You two dance," she prodded, taking her gaze away from Hiroshi, "I'll watch for a while before I join Hiroshi."

"May I have this dance?" Darien asked formally, complying with Takzuru's wishes.

Mina laughed at him, "You sound haughty."

"Is that a yes or a no?" He questioned.

She extended her hand; her eyes gleaming with delight. "That is most definitely a yes."

"As I thought," Darien replied, with a devilish smile, taking her hands in his.

"Have fun out there," Mrs. Aino called after them.

Serena knew exactly where the restroom was. She had been inside the Aino's mansion countless times before, however, tonight she found herself blundering down the wrong hallways and passing through the wrong rooms. Her mind seemed to be somewhere else…and on a _particular_ someone. It was sheer luck that she actually managed to find it, and find it vacant too.

When she emerged from the room, the hallway, which had been brightly lit, was cast in shadows. Surprised, Serena walked cautiously in the dim lighting, supporting herself against the cold wall. An eerie sensation raised the hairs at the back of her neck, a warning for her to be on her guard.

Growing up on the streets taught Serena knew a few things or two about survival, if it did not teach her a thing about etiquette and propriety. And right now, one of her survival instincts was definitely flashing. Her stomach twisted as she tried to peer through the darkness. There was nothing unexpected waiting for her, yet her gut feeling told her otherwise.

Serena came to an abrupt stop as she heard a door from behind her slowly open; the hinges creaked loud enough to wake a sleeping man. Her body tensed, waiting to hear who was behind her.

"Oh, it's you," a sultry female voice called to her. "I've been waiting to speak with you all night, Serena."

With clenched fists, and a strained smile on her face, Serena turned to face the woman. How odd that she just happened to find Serena in an abandoned, darkened hallway. It was funny though that the lady knew her well enough to use Serena's first name, yet Serena could not match her voice to a face.

"Oh really?" She only replied amusedly as she tried to make out the face of the woman standing in the doorway.

"Yes," Serena noticed the way the woman raised her hand to perch on her hips. The voice was now edgy, as though she were trying to suppress her real emotions.

"Can I speak to you in private, please?" Her hand clenched convulsively on her hip, Serena noticed, and found that action a contradiction to her inviting tone.

"Uh, sure," Serena answered awkwardly.

She was utterly confused by her request. That much, Reizei knew. The golden 'princess' was watching her with wary eyes and with a stiff back. Reizei smiled as sweetly as she could manage. What she really felt like doing was to gloat to the innocent female looking curiously at her. In a few minutes, she'd have the silly girl come falling back to cold harsh reality, and she'd be able to force her to do anything she wanted.

"In here," Reizei beckoned, backing into the doorway.

The library was located in the center of the second floor. Four high-backed chairs were angled in front of a long mahogany desk. Serena sat down in one, with her hands clasped together in her lap, trying to look composed as she waited for the lady to turn on the lights. She flashed a serene smile at the figure standing in front of the now closed door.

When the lights flickered on, Serena sprang to her feet in outrage. Reizei stood tall with a sinister grin on her face, her hands plastered behind her against the door, blocking Serena's escape. Registering the harsh glint in the red-head's eyes, Serena knew she was up to no good.

"Sit down; this'll only take a minute." Serena flinched at how unusually pleasant Reizei sounded.

"What do you want?" Taking up her previous disposition, Serena tried to look unaffected. She expected her captor to sit down, but when she didn't, Serena gave her an expectant look.

"You didn't listen to me, Serena," Reizei cooed.

"About what?"

"Don't act like you don't know!"

"Why don't you fill me in?" Serena smiled, enjoying the other female's frustration. If she didn't think Reizei was psychotic before, well now she did.

"I warned you to stay away from Darien," she hissed her answer. "But you didn't listen to me. No siree; you _ignored _me." A derisive laugh escaped the red-head's lips as she stumbled forward away from the door. "You should have left him alone; he's mine."

"I'm sorry," Serena replied, her smile widening. She truly was amused with this eccentric woman. "Are you two married?"

"No," Reizei quickly snapped, "Don't look so innocent; you know we aren't!" She paused to catch her breath. Her chest was heaving after her outburst, more from outrage rather than exertion. When she recovered, her same sly smile twisted her thin red lips, "But we will be."

When Serena showed no reaction, she continued, "We've slept together. He used to come to my bed almost every week. Do you get my meaning?"

Serena paled at that, and she became mad at herself when she saw Reizei's satisfied smirk. Stupid, stupid, stupid, Serena berated herself. What was she to care? Darien was a man. And all men, she gulped, enjoyed exploring their sexual desires with numerous women. But still, she argued to herself, why did it have to be Reizei?

With concealed hate, Serena lifted her sapphire eyes to gaze coldly into amber almonds. Serena couldn't possibly despise a woman more than she did now. And she knew it was all because a spoiled, immoral rich girl such as Reizei was able to attract Darien while she, Serena, was simply his friend. She was the girl who he simply liked to talk with, she added bitterly. For once in her life, she just wanted him to notice that she was also a female. Was he so blind to beauty?

She knew exactly what appealed to Darien about Reizei. Luxuriant red curls tumbled down from a head with nice high cheek bones with an elegantly angled jaw. Stormy amber eyes were framed in long dark lashes, which added to the allure of her pretty face. But it just wasn't that, Serena knew. The female who stood before her, was tall and slender, sophisticated and older; which in translation really meant: she was an uptown girl. Chic, sexy, and rich.

Serena felt as though she had hit rock bottom. She knew she wasn't sexy, well, not in the way Reizei was. And she wasn't at all sophisticated. Knowing all this, she couldn't help but feel bitter.

"Oh yes," Serena answered, "You're his whore."

Reizei gasped. She folded her hands over her chest and glared down at her prey. "I'm going to marry him."

"No," Serena answered calmly, "I don't think you are. Is that all you wanted to say to me? Because if it is, you're wasting my time."

"You still don't understand, do you? You're either stupid or a real bitch! I'm warning you! If you get in my way, I'm going to ruin you!"

At that announcement, Serena cocked a brow, "And how are you going to ruin me? Are you going to _steal_ the tires off my back now, rather than slash them?"

Serena looked to be totally unaffected by the discussion. She actually smiled up at Reizei welcomingly, waiting for an answer.

One look at the blonde bitch, and Reizei was incensed! She could not believe Serena was actually looking at her with laughing eyes, deliberately taunting her. Oh yes, she would _really_ enjoy shattering her world now. Flipping her hair over her shoulder, Reizei fought the urge to start laughing.

It was time to bring her back to reality.

"That's an idea," Reizei sarcastically bit out. "But probably not as affective as what I've already got in mind."

"Elaborate, please," Serena crossed her legs and leant back in her chair.

An evil smile twisted Reizei's lips at Serena's body language. She was _impatient_, the red-head noticed. If only she knew what she was going to find out, Reizei thought gaily. Her blood raced at the wait; anticipating the attack was so much fun…so very _exhilarating_. Her quarry was sitting unaware, completely self-assured that anything she had to say to her would be no big deal. How very naive.

And then, Reizei _did_ laugh. She was such a genius, she amazed herself!

Serena cringed at the sound of her high-pitched laughter. It reminded her very much of the wicked queen's cackle in the American Disney movie "Snow White".

"How does it feel, Serena?" The way Reizei drawled out her name, sent shivers down her spine. She couldn't explain that strange reaction; she was not at all frightened of her foe.

"How does what feel?" Serena's tone was clipped with irritation. Propping her chin on one palm, Serena imitated Darien's infamous expression, looking lazy, and almost bored.

"How does it feel to be in love?"

That one simple question sent Serena into rigid alertness. "What did you say?" She asked in almost a shout. Her eyes were lowered menacingly as she scrutinized Reizei's face.

A stiff laugh emitted from her captor's lips, "Finally," she strode passed Serena to stand beside the hearth at the end of the room. The floorboards creaked under her feet, increasing the tension that was building between the two females. "I've got your attention."

Her nerves were acting up again, Serena grimaced inwardly. She did not need this, she told herself. Reizei had moved from the door, she could easily escape, her mind screamed at her. But at the same time, she knew she had to stay here to find out what Reizei knew. She couldn't _possibly_ know. Serena shook her head; no one knew that she had fallen in love with Darien; no one.

"You've not yet answered my question."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Serena replied defiantly, her gaze never leaving the other woman.

One side of Reizei's lips twisted upward in a sardonic grin. "Do you really insist upon playing the innocent?" When silenced only answered her, she continued, "Oh fine, if you insist."

Serena watched the purple silk of Reizei's dress sway as she moved towards a wide window besides the hearth. With fingertips gliding over the glass, another smile, a satisfied, arrogant smile this time, contorted Reizei's face as she watched the party down below.

"I know you're in love with Darien."

"I am not." That quick reply received a knowing look from Reizei. The glance was only fleeting as she switched her gaze back towards the guests down below.

"You can deny it all you want, but I know you do."

"If you plan to tell lies—" Serena began but was immediately interrupted.

"Don't be stupid," Reizei flung her head back and snarled amusedly at a joke that was only known to her. "I have bigger and better plans than that!"

Serena stood now. She decided she really didn't need to stay here and be made to look a fool. Reizei was only trying to bluff, yes, that was it. The ambitious whore really didn't know anything about how she felt about Darien. With those final thoughts, Serena strode to the door. But just as her hands clasped around the knob, Reizei said something she least expected.

"Did you know that Darien and Mina was once a couple?"

Pivoting around, with hair flying, cheeks aflame, and eyes ablaze Serena answered, "Yes, I did know!"

"And yet you've still fallen in love with your best friends ex?"

"So what!" As soon as the words left her mouth, Serena immediately regretted saying them. Reizei was looking at her with new found enthusiasm.

"So you admit it," She laughed. "Don't you turn that door knob!"

"I can do anything I want!" Serena shot back, flinging the door open wide.

"Wait—" Reizei's eyes were wide with fear. Her plans were about to be ruined. "At least come here. Come look at this."

"Why should I?" Serena glared, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Because I think you'll find this interesting."

Wanting to prove to Reizei that there was nothing that she could possibly find interesting looking out over the party, Serena strode forward towards her. "What?" She spat.

Reizei pointed down at a couple. "Right there," she directed, "Right in the middle of the dance floor."

Serena almost smiled at the striking couple the dance partners made. They looked like they belonged in each other's arms the way they were gazing into each other's eyes. "Yeah, so?" She demanded, after watching the blonde woman and the dark-haired man for a while.

"Take a good look," Reizei coaxed.

She turned to watch the pair again. This time, taking considerable notice of the beauty of the blonde, with her golden curls flowing down her back, and noticing the strong build of the man. He was dangerously good-looking, she noted quietly to herself. The two looked very happy to be in each other's company, and for a minute, Serena just watched them with a silly grin.

Then the man shifted sides, and Serena gasped. Darien's intense blue eyes did not go unregistered by her, and her heart constricted. The striking couple was, she realized, none other than Mina and Darien.

"Ah, now you get it," Reizei chided from beside her. "Don't you see? Darien and Mina are still very much in love."

"That is no concern of mine," Serena stuttered, her complexion turning white.

Reizei cackled, "The hell it doesn't."

In silence, Serena stared dumbfounded at the scene before her. Everything she was witnessing confirmed Reizei's statement. Darien and Mina _were_ in love. She felt like crying at that knowledge.

"What kind of a friend are you, Serena; trying to steal your friend's boyfriend?"

"No!" Serena shouted, turning to look Reizei in the eyes. "That's not it!"

"Stupid, girl," she smiled, "what would you call it, then? Oh, wait—" Reizei's eyes gleamed with glee, "He isn't her boyfriend anymore, now is he? What was your plan, Serena? To befriend Mina so you can snatch up her love?"

"Shut up," Serena shook her head vehemently, and backed away from the window, "You don't know anything."

"Don't I?" Reizei watched the blonde tremble. "That's what it looks like to me."

"I don't have to listen to this!"

"You better stay away from Darien, Serena," Reizei mocked, stalking her towards the door. "If not to let me have him, then do it for Mina. You're her friend, aren't you?"

Reizei never got her answer.

Tears streamed down Serena's pale cheeks; and as she awkwardly ran down the dark corridors, she furiously swiped them away. She should have known better. She should have known not to ever get involved with Darien. If she had never befriended him, she would have not fallen so hopelessly in love. And the worst part of it all was that it was her own damn fault.

Her mind flashed images of them at his family's beach months ago, when they had become friends. Serena let out a choked sob as she recalled Darien's smiling face as he had proposed his 'truce', and the way he had laughed so joyously with her as they ran around the sandy shoreline kicking up water at one another.

That night, as they had sat before a roaring fire in the beach house, he had quite coldly stated, "Love is like a fire." She thought of the way she had replied, rejecting his idea, but now she knew better. Love _really_ did burn. At the time she had been intrigued with his philosophy. It had made her curious to find out more about him, to learn about what made him such a cynic. She had been drawn to him like a moth to a light; foolishly deciding that she wanted to be the one to draw him out of his many masks and to expose him for the great man that he was. However, in the end, after all of her prying and prodding, she was the only one who found herself in love.

When she saw light at the end of the hall, Serena stopped her running. Taking calm breaths, as she had coached herself to do for most of the night, she tried to regain some semblance of her earlier light-hearted attitude. Coming to the doors leading out onto the stairs leading down into the courtyard, Serena looked out at the merry guests, talking, laughing, and having a blast, and she knew that she could not bear being here for another moment.

The poignant memory of Darien's hands clasping over hers as they 'agreed' to be friends, startled a hiccup from Serena. Stumbling forward, she drew her delicate fingers to close over her mouth as she gripped the railing with the other. Though it was nothing but a handshake, her mind had captured that moment as though it was a door opening to a new beginning; the beginning of something special and beautiful.

Shakily, she let a hand fall to her side to grab hold of the long train of her dress as she descended down the stairs. She desperately hoped the tell-tale signs that she had been crying, the red nose and cheeks and puffy, swollen eyes, were not visible. Smoothing her other hand down the front of the silky material, she released a sigh of part agony and part despair.

The truth really did hit her hard. But she was thankful for Reizei. Yes, though the red-head had wanted her to feel shattered, Serena was actually relieved that someone had finally brought her back to reality; all right, even unintentionally. Walking on cloud nine had been fun, she had her drinks, had her laughs, and now, it was time to say good-bye. She couldn't, and wouldn't, handle anymore of this rollercoaster ride she had been forced to ride on. Her sanity was at stake.

Several men tried to waylay her, one from a boy-band by the name of Ninja, and the other, she recognize, a renowned actor in Japan, but she dodged them by cutting through the dance floor, where dozens of teenagers had gathered to bump-and-grind to more modern numbers rather than a waltz. As the crowd thinned, she headed straight towards Lita, Amy and Rei, who were standing exactly where she had left them.

Amy's eyes widened when she saw Serena approaching, "Where have you been, Serena? You've been gone for over an hour!" Concern was written all over Amy's face as she rushed forward to greet her friend.

"Uh…I needed to take a shit?" Serena felt awful to lie to her. It was apparent that the blue-haired socialite had been beside herself with worry.

"That explains a lot," Rei laughed, coming up behind Amy. _Yep, works every time, _Serena noted to herself.

"Oh dear," Amy touched the back of her hand onto Serena's forehead, "You are a trifle warm, Serena. You must have gotten a bit of food poisoning."

"I though food poisoning upsets the stomach?" Lita queried, touching her hand onto Serena's forehead after Amy pulled hers away.

"An increase in temperature can also be a side-affect," Amy stated matter-of-factly, shaking her head with dismay, "And this caterer is highly acclaimed for their superb—"

"Oh Amy," Serena broke in. Her voice trembled: she couldn't tell them that the reason why her face was heated was because she had just been crying. "I haven't had a single bite of their food; I doubt its food poisoning. I'm probably just coming down with something," she lied. "I was running in the rain a few days ago, and so I might have caught a cold."

Amy clucked her tongue with disapproval. "You should take better care of yourself."

"Yeah, Serena," Rei added lightly, "next time you should _ride_ your bike in the rain."

"Hey, that's not funny," Lita slapped Rei over the head gently, "She could get seriously ill, you know?"

"Can't anyone take a joke?" Rei sighed in exasperation.

Unable to feel self-pity any longer, Serena's shoulders shook with mirth at the hilarity of the situation. "I can take a joke, Rei," She answered with a sparkle in her eyes.

"Well that's one out of three," Rei said wryly.

"Hey, you guys?" Serena asked after a moment of silence.

"Yeah?"

"I think I'm gonna go home; I don't feel so good."

"But you just got here two hours ago," Rei protested.

"Rei," Amy scolded, "Can't you seek she's sick? Look, her cheeks are all red and her eyes are all swollen. She needs her rest."

Serena blushed at Amy's observations. Oh no, she inwardly cringed in humiliation. All this time she had thought she looked collected, and wholesomely, when in truth she looked like a sick puppy.

"Yeah, she's right Rei," Lita added.

"Whatever," Rei rolled her eyes, but Serena knew that that action only hid her disappointment. Rei was like that. She liked to show the opposite of how she really felt. If she was feeling vulnerable, she'll act moody. And if she was feeling sad or depressed, she'd hide her true feelings by acting tough or cheerful or sarcastic. Rei always bore _some_ kind of emotion on her face, even if they weren't her true feelings…unlike her brother, who always managed to look aloof and distant.

"Have you guys seen Mina? I'm going to tell her I'm leaving," Serena asked.

"The last time I saw her…" Rei began, "…I think I saw her dragging Malcolm into the garden."

"Oh," Serena smiled. She was somewhat relieved that Mina was not with Darien, though it wasn't because she was jealous or anything. It wasn't that at all; in fact she couldn't be _happier_ for the two of them. She was relieved because she wouldn't have to confront Darien again, and have to say bye to him. "Thanks, I'll go look for her."

"We'll go with you," Lita quickly volunteered.

"No," Serena said abruptly, turning her back on the three girls, "I'll go alone, but thanks."

"If that's what you want," Lita replied skeptically; watching her blonde friend with curious eyes.

"Yeah, it is," Serena affirmed, "I'll see you guys later then."

"What is it that you wanted to say to me?" Malcolm glanced down at the perky birthday girl who skipped alongside him.

Mina looked up with sparkling eyes; eyes, Malcolm thought, filled with mischief. "I've wanted to talk to you for a long time," she started slowly, her gaze never wavering.

"What are you talking about?" Malcolm asked in an exasperated tone, "We've been talking to each other ever since you came back."

Rolling her honey-colored eyes, Mina replied, "That's not what I meant, dummy, and you know it."

A silence fell over them as they continued to walk, following the path that the three feet hedges of the miniature maze, carved out for them. All around them, beautiful flowers were in bloom. Pink ones, red ones, white, ones swayed on their branches as a gentle breezed teased them. The party was taking place about a hundred meters away from them, and so they were pretty much in seclusion, though still in plain sight.

Looking up at the starless black sky, Mina sighed. She didn't know how to get through to this man. The setting was perfect; quiet and romantic. The brick path was lit by torch light, adding to the magical feel of the moment with the soft glow of fire and elegant shadows. And yet Malcolm seemed completely oblivious to her efforts to make him see how much she liked him.

"We've reached the center," the gruffness of his voice jarred Mina from her thoughts. Indeed, he was right. They were standing before an extravagant white gazebo with sheer white cloth draped over the sides and cream colored roses weaved through the wood.

"Come sit," She invited, feeling uneasy now.

Malcolm did as she suggested and cocked an eyebrow at her when she continued to stand outside of the gazebo with her head bent down as in deep concentration. She was beautiful tonight, like she always was. He was not blind enough not to have noticed. With the gentle breeze playing with her soft curls and skirts, she looked vulnerable.

He liked her. He had known that for quite some time now, but he knew he couldn't have her. Well, at least not yet. Darien was his best friend, and it was apparent to him that the man still harbored some sort of affection for his ex, and so, he decided he wouldn't interfere until Darien was ready to let go entirely.

It was hard trying to ignore all of Mina's advances over the several months as well. She was damned persistent trying to get her way, and he almost gave in to temptation, but he too knew how to persevere, and that was the only reason why he had not caved in to her charms yet.

"Malcolm." He liked the way she whispered his name.

"Yes?"

"I've been trying to tell this to you for weeks, but—" she hesitated, and frowned, and then she glared at him, "But you're such a stupid, arrogant, self-centered, man—"

"I think you've been hanging around Serena too much," Malcolm smiled. "You're starting to sound like her—"

"Malcolm, please," she said with frustration. "Don't tease me right now."

"Why not?" He asked.

"Because I'm not in the mood," she snapped.

Malcolm flinched at the fire in her eyes, "No need to get your panties in a bunch."

"Malcolm!"

"Okay, okay, I got it. No teasing," Malcolm was quick to appease. His hands were drawn up in a conciliatory gesture."

Mina sighed, "You've got me sounding like a cranky old lady."

A couple of barbs came to mind, but Malcolm refrained and managed to stay quiet.

"Okay," she began again, "What I've been trying to tell you is that—"

"You like me."

"Excuse me?" Mina's eyes were wide.

Malcolm shook his head, "You heard me."

"You knew?" She asked breathlessly, bounding up the steps into the gazebo.

"Yeah," He shrugged indifferently, "I knew."

"And you let me make a fool of myself trying to get your attention all these weeks?" Her voice was shrill.

If looks could kill, Malcolm thought some what amused, he was sure he'd be flat on his back right now as cold as ice.

"I didn't make you look like anything," he said what he thought was reasonable, "You made yourself look like a fool."

"Oh I can't believe you!" She raged. Mina began pacing the floor before him, and Malcolm only watched with a silly grin.

"What can't you believe me?"

Mina stopped in her tracks to give him an icy stare, "What do you have to say for yourself?" She demanded.

"What?" Malcolm was confused.

"Do you like me too?" She bluntly shouted.

"Yeah."

Mina's heart skipped a beat. Did she really hear what she thought she heard? "Huh?"

Malcolm let her see his exasperation, "I said, yeah, I do like you."

"You're serious, right?" Mina hurriedly made to sit next to him. "You're not yanking my chain or anything?"

"Did you not just hear what I said?" Malcolm groaned.

"I knew it!" She shouted with glee, throwing her hands around his neck. Malcolm nearly chocked at the gesture.

"Mina, let go," he managed in between quick breaths.

A pinkish hue rose in her cheeks as she let go of him. "Sorry," she apologized looking sheepish.

Laying a hand on his thigh, Mina moved in closer, "I knew you liked me too," she said seductively, her lips moving to his ear, but he pulled away before she could follow through with her plan to kiss him there.

"Mina we can't be together," he stood up. "Well at least not yet," he added awkwardly, massaging the side of his neck.

"What?" Mina asked dumbfounded.

"Think about it, Mina," Malcolm rationalized, "If we get together, just a few months after you broke up with Darien, everyone will think you jilted him for me—I know, I know," he interrupted her as she opened her mouth to protest, "It's not like that at all, but if we're seen together in public, that's what the stories in the magazines are going to say."

"I don't give a damn about what anybody thinks of us," Mina pouted obstinately.

"Yeah, well think about how Darien may feel!" Malcolm shot back.

Mina blinked, "What do you mean? What about Darien?"

Malcolm blanched. Uh oh, he said to himself, big mistake. Mina would not understand. She'd blow up if she found out the actual reason _why_ he was delaying their relationship.

"Nothing," he tried to evade her eyes, "I just meant that Darien will be publicly humiliated by the gossip."

Mina's eyes slanted dangerously, "Darien doesn't care about gossip…and neither do you."

"Just drop it, Mina," Malcolm turned his back to her and pulled back the sides of his jacket to rest his hands on his hips.

"Malcolm, you better tell me right now or I'll…I'll…" She frowned at him when he chuckled at her, "I'll make a statement to the press. Better yet," she smiled maliciously, "I'll announce our relationship in my birthday speech!"

"You wouldn't dare," Malcolm turned around to face her again, his voice full of venom.

"I would," Mina answered him with a smirk. "Unless of course, you tell me what you were saying about Darien."

"This is beneath even you, Mina," Malcolm's shoulders slumped in defeat.

He stood there, watching her for a long time, thinking about the best way to break the truth to her.

"I'm waiting," she drew her legs up beneath her on the bench and looked up at him with expectant eyes.

"Darien still has…feelings for you—"

"That's funny, Malcolm," Mina was getting impatient, "You can stop teasing."

Malcolm looked into her eyes. She gulped. The intensity in their grey depths told her he was not playing around. "That's impossible," Mina persisted, "He told me himself that—that—"

"That he agreed that you both should separate?" Malcolm threw back his head and barked with laughter, "He only did that for your benefit, Mina."

Startled, Malcolm watched as Mina jumped to her feet and headed through the maze at a fast pace. "Where are you going?" He asked, bounding after her.

"Darien wouldn't lie to me!" She cried. "He wouldn't!"

"Yes, he would," Malcolm nodded emphatically, grabbing her wrist, "He would do anything to protect you."

"Stop it," Mina shouted, her eyes watering, "He wouldn't let me go on thinking that he was perfectly fine with our break up. He talks to me, damn it! He wouldn't be so cruel, so cruel to let me go on like this, unknowingly tormenting him!" She swung her arm out of his grasp.

"Where are you going?" Malcolm demanded, following close behind her.

"I'm going to talk to Darien!"

At her answer, Malcolm attempted to grab her again. "No, Mina," he said harshly, "Don't do that."

"And why not?" She evaded his grasp.

"Because Darien will only be more embarrassed!"

"I don't believe anything you said!" Mina picked up her skirts and ran.

Malcolm stopped and watched her go. "Fine," he yelled to her, "Don't believe me. You're only going to end up hurting him more!"

Darien was easy to spot. A head taller and a good deal handsomer than any man in the courtyard, Mina was able to pin point his exact location instantly. She was convinced everything Malcolm said were all lies. They couldn't be true. Darien and she had a mutual agreement! And she would not accept any chivalry on Darien's behalf.

Serena spotted Mina running from the gardens and sighed with relief. At least she didn't have to spend all night trying to locate the hostess. She quickened her pace, heading towards the Mina, who seemed to be running towards a crowd of men.

As she neared, Serena went over how she was going to persuade Mina to let her go home early, in her head. When she was satisfied with her plan, she placed her gaze upon Mina, who was now dragging a rather hassled looking man, away from a group of middle-aged men. A smile curved Serena's lips as she thought what offense the man had done to Mina to make her look as riled as she did now.

The man had his head bent and tilted to the side, and so Serena couldn't tell who he was, but he was facing her direction. She didn't really pay attention to him though; she had her gaze fixed on the blonde with her back turned towards her. Serena took wide strides, forcing a serene look upon her face as she came nearer to the two…and then, she tripped.

It really just wasn't her night. Her heel had caught onto the bumpy surface of the stone paved courtyard and had sent her catapulting forward with her arms stretched high above her head. She caught herself before she managed a full-on scream. Several men saw her and made hasty and ineffective attempts to catch her, but they only ended up hurting her more. With her fingers crunched between a shiny pair of black dress shoes and the hard cold floor, Serena flinched at the force in which she fell. The wind was completely knocked out of her.

"Are you okay?" The man, whom had been stepping on her hand, knelt down to pick her up off the floor."

"I'm…fine…" Serena gasped out in between sharp breaths of air. Pushing away from him, she continued to limp towards Mina. Completely mortified, she kept her eyes directed onto the ground as a trail of silence followed her.

"Is it true?" She heard Mina say. Serena kept her gaze focused anywhere but on her friend and stood a little ways behind her, not wanting to intrude upon her conversation. "Do you still love me?"

Calmness settled over the guests following Mina's question, but she was oblivious to them all except the dark man standing before her, looking bored.

Serena's head jerked up at Mina's question, and found herself looking into the mysterious eyes of Darien. She gulped at the light that twinkled in them, telling her he had witnessed her little _accident_. She stared back at him for a while, feeling heat rise up her neck, and then the full meaning of Mina's question dawned on her, and the growing tension in the crowd suddenly created a strained atmosphere in the once lively party. Serena broke eye contact and rapidly looked away once again.

"Mina," the sound of Malcolm's chilling voice could be heard from behind Darien.

"Shut up, Malcolm," Mina shouted, "I want to hear Darien's answer."

The guests moved in closer, all trying to hear the conversation.

Serena wanted to run. She didn't want to hear Darien's answer; she already _knew _Darien's answer. Bracing herself for Darien's words, Serena clenched her eyes shut. Oh Darien, she felt like crying, I love you. And her heart ached at the pain he must be feeling now, and the embarrassment of Mina's careless public scene. She longed to comfort him, to wrap her arms around him and lose herself in his kiss, and to tell him that everything would be all right.

"I love…" Darien began, his voice steady, "I love Serena."

Serena's eyes fluttered open at his announcement, barely registering what was happening before she found herself pressed against Darien's hard body. In an instant his mouth crushed hers in a fierce devouring kiss, and all she felt was the inexplicable heaven that settled in her mind. With gentle prodding he worked to coax her mouth open for the invasion of his tongue. She forgot herself in that one kiss.

Something in the back of Serena's mind snapped, and she became suddenly aware of her surroundings. Serena squirmed silently against him, trying to break his hold and to drag her mouth away from the fierce possession of his lips. An audible gasp filled the crowd before they started clapping at what seemed to be a passionate kiss between a very attractive lady and a very handsome man who had just professed his love.

Before anyone knew it, cameras began flashing as reporters filed out onto the courtyard for Mina's birthday speech. Mina wasn't at all ready to give her speech yet, she was still dreamily watching her two best friends French kiss one another, with a goofy smile on her lips. Amy and Lita and Rei had pushed their way through the crowd and were now standing with opened mouths at the heated scene before them.

The press was going to have a field day tomorrow, and surely every magazine cover will have a picture of Darien and Serena's hot embrace.

Slowly Darien's hands loosened his grip, and he lifted his head to stare down at wide bemused sapphire eyes. "Serena and I will be getting married." His statement did not go unnoticed by their audience.

Serena came crashing back to earth at Darien's statement. All around her she saw smiling faces, laughing, and cheering. Though the cameras had stopped flashing, reporters now had their notebooks out taking notes and jotting down quotations. Taking in all of this, Serena was ready to explode.

She slapped Darien instead.

And then she ran.

The headlights of cars blared and honked at her as she riskily darted across the street. The dam that she had built behind her eyes had taken its last blow, they have fallen, and now the tears that she had been trying to hold back, ran down her face like endless waterfalls. She was sobbing too; she could hear her cry out spasmodically and hiccupping violently and shame swept over her.

How could she let him kiss her like that, and in front of so many people? She could not believe his cruelty; he had used her! He had merely used her to save face, and now, it was going to be her reputation that would have to pay the consequences. How could she possibly have thought she could change a cold and cynical man like him?

Swiping at her tears, Serena ran blindly down the sidewalk, not even caring at the spectacle she caused…or the spectacle the dark-haired man running after her caused.

"Serena," Darien called. "I'm sorry!"

She was halfway across the intersection when she heard his voice. To his surprise, she immediately stopped, and turned around to face him. When he saw her tears, he was ready to kill himself. With angry and hurt eyes she glared at him. Serena looked as shattered as the terrible sobs she had been releasing all the way here indicated. This was all his fault, Darien knew, and he ached to make her feel better, and to make her understand his rash action.

"Stay away from me," she shouted to him. Her voice ragged with raw emotion.

"Serena, just let me explain—"

"No!" She shook her head violently, and swayed back and forth on her feet as though she were drunk. "I believed you!" She raised an accusatory finger at him, "I trusted you and—and how did you repay me? You kissed me; you lied and said you loved me!"

One would have to be blind if they did not see the agony that transformed Serena's lovely face, or the sorrow in her tortured blue eyes. Darien's heart constricted; a muscle moved spasmodically at the base of his throat as he tried to find his voice.

"Serena, just let me explain!"

It was too late; the blonde had already turned her back to him and had begun walking across the crosswalk again.

"Serena!" Darien yelled furiously, running after her.

"Serena—" A loud blast penetrated Darien's ears, making his head twist in its direction.

His heart nearly stopped. A cold sweat broke across his forehead, as his eyes widened in fear. "Serena, get out of the way!"

A large semi-truck was coming down the road headed straight for Serena, and did not appear at all to be slowing down. Darien's life flashed before his eyes as he watched Serena slowly turn to look at the truck.

He ran liked wind.

"Serena!"

"Will Dr. Tsuneyoshi please come to the front desk. Paging Dr. Tsuneyoshi…" The voice of the head nurse over the intercom wrung through the silent halls of the hospital, bouncing off walls in an echo. Darien's gaze darted towards the speaker up on the ceiling and wished he could rip it out so he could wallow in sorrow in silence.

For the last two hours he'd been sitting in the hall waiting for news on Serena's condition. He was beside himself with worry, and had taken up the action of pacing up and down the hall to pass time by. It was little help; his mind reeled at the thought of loosing her. He clenched his fists, feeling completely hopeless.

When they had arrived in the ambulance, he almost contemplated doing bodily damage onto one of the female nurses when she had informed him that Serena may have to wait a few hours or so until they could call the 'right' surgeon to work on her. Of course he should have been outraged, Serena was bleeding like no tomorrow, and they wanted to have her wait a few more hours! After a lot of intimidation and a lot of money, Darien was finally able to reason with them and have Serena carefully attended to.

And now, after two hours of waiting outside the surgery room, Darien's mind was going to snap.

"Are you the young man who brought Ms. Tsukino in?" Darien's head jerked up at the doctor's voice.

He grimly nodded, and then forced himself to sit up properly.

At Darien's confirmation, the man shook his head somberly at him, "I'm sorry," he whispered. His eyes had dark shadows around them, and he lifted his free dumb and index finger to massage the area between his eyes and nose. When his gaze came back to Darien's, he looked thoroughly exhausted.

"We've done all we could do for her. I give her a few hours maybe, but she won't last long."

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**End Notes:** Some of you may think I'm evil right now...but even if you do, please review and tell me what you think! 

And for those of you who may recognize that kissing scene...it's from Full House (The Korean Drama). In a way, it's completely different though.


	12. Chapter 12

**AN: **For those of you who have been in constant update of my story, I'm glad to say that my eleventh chapter is finally here. Please read it, and ejoy. Check my end notes for answers to certainquestions many of you have put to me but I have not yet answered.

**Disclaimer: **All rights to Sailor Moonis reserved to Naoko Takeuchi.**

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**Chapter Eleven**

Serena's eyes opened wide at the sight of the oncoming vehicle. Immediately her body tensed, frozen stiff with fear. Her mind screamed for her to jump, to run—to do anything to get out of the way…but she was paralyzed. Blinking back tears, her body racked with uncontrollable shivers; a painful lump formed at the base of her throat. Serena watched as the truck came ever closer—or maybe it was she who was moving…she couldn't tell.

All around her bystanders gasped with shock and horror. But none made an attempt to save her. Who would? For all they knew, she could've been a drunk who stupidly stumbled across the intersection. She was screaming and crying; it was very possible to believe that she had been drinking. They didn't know her; she was a complete stranger to them. If she were to die that hour, that minute, that very second…they'd go on with their lives just as they'd always done.

The headlights of the semi-truck blared at her and its horn roared, urging her to move. All around her everything seemed to be moving in slow motion—sound was muted to her ears. Serena's heart was beating rapidly from the adrenaline; her face turned a deathly white, perspiration gathered across her brow. She clenched her eyes shut, waiting for the hit, and she couldn't help but feel that this was a sorry way to die—even if she was poor.

And then, like sunshine peeking through clouds of grey, she heard him.

"Serena!" Darien's agonized bellow made her eyes open. "Move, you idiot! Get out of the way!"

Just when she thought her heart had stopped, it was his voice that brought her back to reality; his firm and authoritative voice now strained with emotion. Her head whirled in the direction of his angry shouts. Tears fell silently from her eyes as they spotted Darien rushing onto the street.

He was running furiously towards her, a look of sheer terror on his face. Utterly surprised by the fear that lay unconcealed in the dark depths of his eyes, Serena let out a guttural groan filled with all the emotions that were bottled up inside her. Determined. That was how Darien looked like, Serena thought dazedly; he looked so damned determined. With great effort she swallowed the painful lump in her throat, trying to suppress a cry.

She didn't understand. Why was he looking at her like that; with that fearful tortured look? He didn't care about her—she found that out tonight. And yet he was _willing_ to risk his life to save her? It wasn't possible. Her vision blurred, and the images of the party began swimming in her mind as light-headedness consumed her.

This really was it, Serena realized. She could not believe that it had just been an hour ago, when she had been dancing in Darien's arms. Remembering their playful banter about the 'correct' way Europeans danced the waltz, made her heart constrict. Had it really just been an hour ago? A mere hour ago that she had been daydreaming of being kissed by his lips, of being held in his arms forever—the world be damned?

Oh god, she screamed at herself, what was she thinking? Just because Darien didn't share her same feelings didn't mean he did not care for her. Hell, he'd been her friend. That was their agreement, and what did she do in repayment to his kindness? She had to fall in love with him! Darien wasn't at fault; it was all her fault, all her damned fault! As she looked upon the handsome man's ravaged face, she realized just how horrid she had been and just how wonderful he was. And now he was even trying to save her life! The realizations made Serena hate herself—she couldn't be more selfish!

Shaking her head furiously to discourage him, she attempted to do her first act of selflessness for the night—she would save _his_ life. Serena knew that if she allowed him to come any closer, it would be he who would be hit by the truck, not her. Fear gripped her entire being. She would not let Darien sacrifice himself for her.

"Get back," she heard herself sob. "Don't come any nearer, Darien—please, Darien, listen to me!"

It was futile. Darien was on the brink of madness. He couldn't believe how stupid she was. Couldn't she see that she was going to be hit by a truck? He was downright furious! How could she put him through this torment—it was plain mean! Fighting back a roar of rage, he just charged blindly toward her, ignorant to everything but saving her.

He could see the fat tears flowing down her face and the pain in her eyes as he neared. Pumping his arms faster, forcing his legs into longer strides, Darien launched himself at her with all the strength he could muster. Somewhere in the back of his mind he registered the angry holler of a horn and the loud _vroom_ of a truck going by as his body collided with Serena's.

For a second in time, all seemed to be still as he and Serena tumbled onto the sidewalk. With heart racing, breath labored and brain pounding, Darien laid atop her with his eyes still closed, hoping like hell that they had not been hit. After a moment, he realized they were safe and sighed with relief. From all the terror he had been feeling, his senses had been put momentarily on pause; now he could hear the whispers of people drawing nearer and what scared him most…Serena's still body.

"Serena," Darien whispered brokenly into her hair.

No answer.

Pulling himself off her and onto his side, he looked down into her pale face. She was lifeless. A muscle moved spasmodically at the base of Darien's throat as he studied the unconscious woman. Long black lashes rested against fair skin. Her face was relaxed with no strain or pain. Luscious pink lips parted in an 'O', as Darien gently lifted her head into his arms.

The tightening in his chest was unbearable as he held her limp body in his arms. "Serena," he urged her to respond. When she remained silent, he crushed her comatose body to his and buried his head in her hair. He couldn't take the pain of seeing her this way.

An audience watched on in astonishment as the dark haired man began to speak tenderly to the woman he held in his arms. He spoke every word with urgency, pleading her to open her eyes, to say something, to move her arm, her leg—anything. When his pleading did nothing to help her condition, he resorted to angry threats, telling her that he would never forgive her if she didn't open her eyes and that he would never apologize to her for what he did that night if she died. It appeared that he was totally oblivious to them watching him.

Lifting his head from her body, Darien frowned at her. She shouldn't be like this, he reasoned, they hadn't been hit by the car. Serena should be fine, just as he was fine. The car had not hit her, and so she must have been injured in the fall…

Darien did his best not to cry out with fury. He had just noticed the dampness of his hand behind her head. Pulling one out from behind her, horror grabbed onto him once more at the sight of the dark blood that covered his hand and soaked the sleeve of his white collar shirt. Completely shocked, he just stared intently at his hand, though not seeing it at all. All he could think about was that he did this to her.

A loud siren split the dead silence in Darien's mind, forcing him into abrupt awareness of where he was and what had just happened. At first the alarm bell was faint, but as it neared, it grew stronger and louder until Darien had to wince at the sound. Apparently someone had called the ambulance for him while he was acing like a stupid idiot, begging for an unconscious woman to answer him.

The crowd parted as a man—whom Darien took for as the Paramedic—made his way towards them with a black bag in hand. His expression was professional, but when he saw Serena lying cold and looking somewhat dead, he hastened his pace. Kneeling beside them, he cast a quick glance at Darien. "What's wrong with her?" He went on to open his bag and take out a stethoscope.

"What the hell does it look like its wrong with her?" Darien bit back impatiently.

"Sir, calm down. We need to know her condition—," an EMT stood behind him, peering over Darien's shoulder down at the patient.

With frustration, Darien sighed exasperatedly and looked up at the man behind him with harsh cold eyes. "Then find out her condition—that's what you're trained to do!"

"Sir, if you don't calm down. I'm going to have to ask you to step away from the patient and—"

"The hell you will—," Darien began angrily.

"She has a pulse."

The announcement from the Paramedic immediately captured Darien's attention. Finally, he thought, we're getting somewhere.

"Uh oh, that's not good," the medical technician remarked dryly at the sight of Serena's bleeding head. "Yoshizumi, bring around the stretcher."

"Will she be okay?" Darien asked. His gaze was focused on the man who scurried to fetch the stretcher and then back down onto Serena's beautiful face.

"I'm not certain," the short man replied with a thoughtful frown, "That head injury looks pretty serious."

Darien glared at the man, at the same time caressing Serena's cold cheek with his thumb, "Aren't you trained to handle these types of situations? Shouldn't you do something to stop the bleeding at least?"

The paramedic flushed, and unconsciously rubbed the back of his neck. "Well…er…Head injuries aren't in my field of work, sir. I don't want to do anything that may hurt her current condition, so we must transfer her as quickly as we can to Tokyo hospital."

Swallowing past the ache in his throat, he nodded. Suppressing his frustration, Darien smoothed his thumb across Serena's cold cheek again.

"Hang on, Serena," he whispered achingly. "Don't you dare die on me," the harshness in his voice was lessened by the look of torment written on his face. And then she was raised onto the stretcher.

* * *

His cell phone rang for the twentieth time…maybe more. He didn't answer it though. Darien was unaware of the constant vibrating and ringing of the mechanism in his pocket. All he could think about, all he could feel was numbness. An aching numbness of loss and emptiness. 

Sitting slumped in a chair directly across from the surgery room, he looked a mess. Dark ebony locks hung over a face tilted downwards in a desolate manner—the unruly mop of hair seemed to have been warned by a hand raking through its strands. To all the nurses who eyed the handsome young man, he looked completely detached. His eyes were bland—completely without a trace of emotion. Firm lips were tightly shut, giving him an air of cool sophistication. What gave away his inner turmoil though, was the constant pacing he did every other minute.

It had been an hour since the doctor had last spoken to him. A whole damned hour and Darien was going insane from the waiting. Clenching his jaw shut, he got to his feet again and started walking back and forth before the door. Hands clasped to his back, his legs moved in a brisk pace. He was fighting back the urge to roar, to swing his fist into the face of the next person who bothered to ask him if he needed assistance; it was his control that held him back; the control he had learned as a child, forcing himself not to cry or scream at his father's beatings. It really did come in handy, he thought bitterly.

"Sir?"

Darien whirled around at the sound of the nurse's tentative voice; a mean scowl on his face. His eyes flashed with something so terrifying, the woman cringed even from where she sat, behind the front desk.

With as much courage as she could draw up, she stuttered, "C-can you t-turn off your c-cell phone, sir?"

Flicking a glance down at his pocket, Darien finally registered the vibration against his leg and frowned. He glanced back up to give the woman an apologetic nod, before pulling out the phone. Quickly viewing the name and picture that was displayed on the front screen, he hesitated for a moment, then decided to answer it.

"Yes?" He said brusquely into the phone.

He almost dropped his phone as an answer came back. "Where the _hell_ are you?" The shrill sound of Mina's voice was fatal to his ears.

Darien didn't want to tell her. Not now, not when he was feeling as terrible as he was. On the brink of losing his control, he couldn't let her or anyone else see him in this state. Surely there'd already be an article right now being printed for tomorrow's paper and since he was involved in the accident, there probably would be some coverage on television news as well.

He didn't realize it, but a long moment passed. "Darien? Can you hear me? I want to know where the hell you are!"

Shaking his head to get rid of the dizziness that was coming over him, he answered calmly. "We're fine."

"Serena's with you?" The relief in her voice was not lost to Darien. "Good…good. Where are you two?"

With a hand on his waist, Darien turned from the surgery room to the glass wall looking out into the parking lot; an unreadable expression on his face. A nurse gave him a frown. And Darien bowed his head apologetically at the subtle warning in her eyes. She didn't have to say it, but Darien knew he couldn't use his cell phone inside.

"Hold on, Mina," he said steadily; walking towards the electronic doors that led outside.

"What do you mean hold on? It's been three damn hours! Everyone here is in an uproar wondering where the hell the two of you have gone! Do you know how worried we all are; me, Lita, Rei, Amy, Zach, Andrew, Malcolm, James, Natha—"

It took all of Darien's restraint to hold himself back from shouting at her. Coming to an abrupt stop at the end of the sidewalk, he scowled. He reasoned with himself that Mina didn't know what he was going through, and that she couldn't possibly imagine what he was feeling. "I get it," he wryly interrupted.

"No, I don't think you do!" Mina shouted angrily into the receiver.

Taking in the stiff night air, Darien sighed defeatedly. There was no use in arguing with Mina; she was completely impossible. "Listen, just trust me, okay?" Casting a wary glance over his shoulder towards the hospital doors, Darien lowered his voice. "I've got everything under control. Tell everyone that I'm escorting Serena home."

"You mean you're _not_ doing that?" Mina sounded hysterical now. "That's what I thought you were doing! What are you doing?"

Flinching at the accusatory tone in her voice, Darien shrugged his shoulders. "I'll tell you when I'm sure what the hell is going on. Just trust me, you hear."

"You know you're not the only one who cares about Serena, Darien." Darien's body became stiff at her soft voice. "We all care for her too."

Taking in a long breath of air, Darien stalled for patience, biting back the urge to make an asinine remark. After he exhaled, long and slow, he replied. "I know, Mina."

"Then tell us, please, what's wrong?" There was a frantic pitch in her voice as she beseeched.

Closing his eyes, Darien tried to slow his thudding heart. How could he tell her the truth? The news would break her heart, and Darien didn't want to cause Mina or anyone else pain as well. He pondered the situation for a while and then finally decided on the action he would take. Serena's condition was still uncertain, and so if news of her state became direr, he would tell her so they could all come down and say good-bye. That was what Serena would have wanted, Darien knew, but pushed that thought away, not wanting to believe that she could die. If Serena remained stable for the rest of the night, however, come morning, he was sure Mina and the gang would find out what had happened, so he needn't bother telling her.

He hung up on her—there was no way in hell he was going to let Serena die on him. No way.

It was too soon, he kept saying to himself. She was still so young, so impressionable…and so innocent. Never had he known anyone as sweet, as gentle, or as lively as she. He had persistently tried to shield himself from her; telling himself that she was just like every other woman, cajoling himself to believe that she was just as spiteful and deceiving as the rest of her sex. The truth was hard to deny, now that he was on the brink of losing her. Serena was as pure as fresh fallen snow the morning after a winter storm. She couldn't die, he told himself. Not now, when she had just entered his life, not when she had just gotten herself settled in his heart, and not when she had just brought him such happiness.

Shaking off the feeling of dread that washed over him, Darien strode back into the hospital. Behind him, he left a still parking lot to bask in the cool balmy night air.

* * *

"What did he say?" Malcolm asked, coming up behind Mina. 

The blonde whirled around at his voice. She wore an expression of shock disbelief. With mouth and eyes wide open, she gawked dubiously at Malcolm. "He hung up on me!"

Malcolm flinched, watching Mina recover from her state of alarm which was soon turning into anger. In the last three hours, they had been trying to hold the press from asking their many questions, but it was no use. The only way to make them leave was to have Mina give a statement, and it was clear to see that she was in no state to do so.

"I would be surprised if he didn't," Malcolm replied mockingly. Darien had every right to do so after the humiliation Mina had just caused him, but Malcolm really wished his friend wouldn't have done that. Mina was terribly distressed, and she needed to remain calm to face the reporters.

"Shut up, Malcolm," Mina hissed. "I know I was wrong. I shouldn't have done something so irrational; it's just that, I felt so guilty—"

"You don't have to try and explain yourself to me," Malcolm broke in, "I understand. And what you did won't change how I feel about you."

Mina responded to Malcolm's tender tone by wrapping her arms around him. Unconsciously, she rubbed her cheek against the soft material of his black jacket. "I—It's all my fault!"

"Yeah, babe, it is." Malcolm smiled into her hair, giving her a squeeze.

She cried then. And Malcolm held her close against him, hoping to absorb all the pain she was feeling. "I'm so worried," she confessed quietly. "Did you know, Malcolm, that Darien wouldn't tell me where he and Serena were? He never lies to me!"

"Are we backed to that again?" Malcolm asked soothingly, sliding a hand over her back to curve around her shaking shoulders.

Mina laughed at that, and then buried her head deeper into his chest. "Oh all right," she sighed, "He did lie to me—it's just very, very hard to believe. I mean, he use to always tell me everything."

She sounded so forlorn, Malcolm didn't dare laugh. "Love, he has every right to withhold any information he wants from you."

"Are you on his side or mine?" Mina demanded, pulling out of his arms to glare at him.

Malcolm cupped her face in his hands and wiped away a lone tear gliding down her rosy cheeks. "I'm not taking anybody's side," he stated dryly.

The frown on her face grew deeper, "Malcolm…" she warned.

He smiled at her, "On second thought…"

"Yeah?"

"I'm on Serena's side." He had answered most seriously. There was a nagging sensation eating at him, telling him that there were more than two victims in tonight's burst of emotions. Somehow, Serena had ended up as the pawn in Darien's and Mina's childish scene—almost like a diversion. And it was Darien who had used her as a shield. That realization made Malcolm scowl; to think that Serena had put her complete trust in Darien and have him use her in such a way must have been a major blow to her, thus she had fled from the scene. It wasn't Darien who had been humiliated; they were all wrong.

It was Serena who had her pride stripped away.

"What!" Mina exclaimed.

"Mina, you're such a selfish snob, but that's why I love you." A thoughtful frown spilt across Malcolm's forehead as he drew the blonde into his embrace again. He was feeling rather nauseous at the thought of what Serena must have felt when Darien had proclaimed that they were to marry.

"Did you just insult me?" Mina demanded, glaring up at him. Malcolm tried to force the waxing anger he felt upon Serena's behalf down. When he thought he had control, he looked down onto Mina's face.

"Yes, sweetheart," He pushed her head back against his chest, "I did insult you." His tone was no longer teasing however.

"How nice of you," Mina pushed against his chest so he would release her. He didn't know his strength, she thought. He was crushing her.

"No," Malcolm roughly pushed her away, his hands gripping her shoulders, "How nice of you!"

It was plain to see that Mina was becoming quite frightened, but Malcolm didn't care. He was in love with a selfish little girl, and he was furious with himself for it. These past three hours all Mina worried about was how she had hurt Darien's feelings and how he had lied to her. Never once had he heard her worry over Serena's hurt feelings. In his opinion, it was Serena who was injured the most out of Mina's impulsive action. And his heart went out to her.

He shook his head; Serena was such a strong girl, sometimes it was hard to believe that anything could hurt her. But all the same, that was no excuse. There was no mistaking the look in her eyes when she had fled from the mansion. He had never seen such anguish before, and what pained him the most was knowing that her torment was caused by them—her trusted friends.

"Malcolm, what are you talking about?"

Mina's hoarse voice broke through his thoughts, and Malcolm continued to glare furiously at her. "I'm talking about what you did to Serena!"

Confusion was evident in her eyes as she said, "Malcolm you're not making any sense; I didn't do anything to Serena."

With a harsh sigh, Malcolm released her shoulders. He just realized that the thought that Serena could have also been a victim of her carelessness never crossed Mina's mind, and Malcolm felt disgusted. Why in the world did he have to fall in love with his best friend's ex-girlfriend, when he could have fallen in love with Serena? She was one of the most courageous and selfless people he had ever met, and to top it off, she was breathtakingly beautiful. Why, he asked himself, why couldn't he have fallen in love with Serena?

"Malcolm!" Mina yelled at his retreating back. "Malcolm get back here!"

Without turning he shouted over his shoulder unfeelingly, "Wipe your tears, you're to give a statement to the press in five minutes."

With a new anger coursing through her veins, Mina ran after the light-haired fellow. She could not believe him! The nerve he had to insult her and then walk away without explaining himself. And she didn't even provoke him, she didn't do anything. Mina grabbed onto his wrist, but he didn't stop, he just kept on walking.

With a horrified gasp, Mina tried to keep up with his fast pace. He didn't even look at her when she bit her nails into his skin. And when she increased the pressure he increased his speed until she was running alongside him.

"Malcolm!" She gasped.

"Let go, Mina," He warned darkly, his eyes still riveted ahead of him.

"Not until you answer me!"

She ran into his backside as he came to an abrupt stop. "I always knew you were selfish, Mina, but I never thought you could be such a heartless bitch."

Her eyes widened at his remark. As if unable to believe what she had just heard she shook her head and then continued to stare at him wide-eyed and mouth agape. "What did you just call me?"

Malcolm smirked at her, his eyes piercing, "That's right; I just called you a heartless bitch."

"Why?" Her hand fell away from his wrist as she wrapped her arms around herself.

"Have you thought of Serena at all tonight, about how she may be feeling?" Malcolm demanded angrily. He would not feel guilty for making her cry, Malcolm told himself as he saw Mina's eyes turn glassy. Mina needed a reality check; the world did not revolve around her.

"Of course I have," she replied, still looking completely clueless.

With a frustrated sigh, Malcolm slowly eased the tension in his neck away by rotating his head in a circle. "And how do you think she's feeling right now, Mina? Do you think she's feeling happy; come on, tell me?" He chided with a sardonic grin curving his lips.

"Well no…I suppose not, er, I don't know!" Mina paused, and then rolled her eyes, "Why would I be thinking about that? All I can think about right now is where she's run off to! I'm terrified something horrible has happened to her!"

His hands closed into a tight fist at his sides at Mina's answer. Malcolm looked upon her beautiful face with disgust; he couldn't believe she could be so unfeeling. Mina was always so lively, so filled with happiness, that it was downright contagious, but she was no longer a child, and she couldn't always be happy-go-lucky. She needed to learn the repercussions of her behavior and she needed to learn that she can't pay for everything she's broken and make it all better, because she could never pay Serena back for hurting her. It was as though Mina were a reckless sixteen year old trapped in a twenty-three year old woman's body.

"You don't get it; you just don't get it," Malcolm said sullenly, and then he let go of her shoulders and straightened.

"Malcolm, please," she sobbed, "Explain to me what I did wrong!"

A grim smile stretched across his face. "Nothing," he lifted a hand to rouse her hair, "You did nothing but be yourself, and you can't help that."

"If you'd explain what I did—"

"You didn't do anything, Mina!" Malcolm looked furious, "Now go!"

Elegantly arched brows drew together at his order, "What?"

"Go now," Malcolm pushed her up the stage that the band had once occupied, "The press is waiting for your speech."

From the audience, Malcolm watched as Mina's disposition made a one-eighty turn. Her eyes lit up and a serene smile was plastered on her face as she began speaking. The light hit her just perfectly, bringing attention to her shimmering blonde hair and rosy cheeks. But instead of admiration, a feeling of disappointment swept through him. After all these years, he was finally able to see her for who she was. A fake.

It was apparent to him now that Mina basked in the luxury of high-society. She loved the parties, the media, and the expensive accessories. But who was to blame her when she lived in a materialistic world—where one chose practicality over emotion and where one put oneself before others? Mina was not heartless; she just didn't know better.

"Well there goes my speech," Mina chuckled good-humoredly, tossing a folded white piece of paper over her shoulder. The audience smiled at her encouragingly as they held their pens poised over notepads. "Thank you all for coming. I was going to give my birthday speech, but it seems that there is another matter I must address. As you all know, Mr. Chiba and I have been going out for a few years now. I'm sorry to say that you have just witnessed the end."

There was a murmuring in the crowd at that statement, but they all quieted when she cleared her throat to begin again. "Whether it is Mr. Chiba's true intent to marry Ms. Tsukino or not, I do not know. Right now, I have confirmation that both of them are doing fine and that no one is to worry. Thank you, that's all I have to say. Please leave through the back gates."

"Ms. Aino, Ms. Aino, how long has Ms. Tsukino and Mr. Chiba been seeing each other?" A reporter shouted, jumping to his feet.

"Ms. Aino, where is the couple now? Why did Ms. Tsukino run?"

"Ms. Aino, _who_ is Ms. Tsukino?" Another reported asked.

Mina sighed, and raised her hand to put an end to all the questions. "I will not answer any more questions. I was asked to give a statement, and so I did. If you're looking for a press conference, you will have to wait for another day."

As Mina walked off the stage, more questions were bombarded at her, but she spoke not another word. Looks of disappointment swept over the crowd, but not until Aeya, the Ainos' head butler, came onto the stage and told them to get out or get thrown out, did the audience disperse.

* * *

"You should really get that checked out, you know?" 

Darien's head snapped up at the statement. He was feeling miserable, and the pounding ache in his head was becoming unbearable. With all the control he could gather, he did his best to hold onto his sanity—which was quickly dissipating by each passing second. He was oblivious of the world around him, only concentrating on the chaos in his mind.

However, he immediately straightened at the sound of Serena's surgeon's voice. Forcing a placid expression onto his face, he stood to greet the doctor. "Hello, sir."

The surgeon merely raised a brow in answer, "I was referring to your arm."

Baffled, and somewhat caught off guard by the amusement in the man's tone, Darien frowned. His reaction won a chuckle from the doctor; it was easy to see that Darien had not been paying attention to what the other man had said.

"What?" Darien asked, still frowning.

"Your arm," the doctor repeated, "I said you should get it checked out."

The confusion was again obvious upon Darien's face and the surgeon smiled. It was plain to him that the young man had been so absorbed in his worry for the young lady he had brought in that he had not even noticed the large gash in his arm.

At first glance, Darien already knew the cut must not have been very severe, so he simply shrugged. In fact, he hadn't even noticed it until this moment. He must have scraped it against the asphalt road when he had pushed Serena out of the pathway of the semi-truck. "It's only a paltry cut," he replied nonchalantly.

Stunned, the doctor replied, "Paltry cut? Your shirt is soaked in blood!" And he jabbed a finger at Darien's left arm for emphasis; his once white sleeve was torn and covered in a dark red liquid. "You're gonna need to have that cleaned, and—" he grabbed hold of Darien's arm for a closer inspection, "—stitches, yes, you'll need stitches for this. It's a pretty bad scrape you have here. Come on, I'll walk you down to the—"

"No," Darien shook his head. He refused to leave Serena; he would never forgive himself if something happened to her and he wasn't there waiting for her. "I'd rather not leave."

It was apparent to the doctor that the young man was going to be stubborn, and so he sighed with defeat. Letting go of Darien's arm, the physician reached into the pocket of his white coat and pulled out a badge. "Here," he said, handing it over to Darien, "Go and see her. Just show my crew this badge and they'll allow you entry, but you'll only have a few minutes. After you've seen her, get your arm checked out."

For a long minute, the doctor thought the young man wouldn't answer him, but when he did, he wished he hadn't. There was a look of hope on the dark-haired man's face, as he looked up to clutch the badge.

"Does this mean she'll be all right, sir?" Darien asked; his chest constricting in anticipation for the answer.

Solemnly the doctor shook his head, a feeling of guilt swept through him. "I really don't know. Head injuries can be…unpredictable."

Darien nodded calmly, accepting his answer, even though he was terrified by it. "I understand."

"May I ask what your relation is to Ms. Tsukino, Mr.…?"

"Chiba," Darien replied.

"Mr. Chiba," The doctor repeated. "Mr. Chiba," he said again, this time with a look of amazement on his face. "Mr. Chiba as in the heir to the Chiba industries?" At Darien's brusque nod, the doctor went on to say, "Well it's a pleasure to meet you Mr. Chiba. I thought you looked familiar." He clasped Darien's good hand.

Nodding his head in the practiced fashion he had learned to do when growing up, Darien hid his annoyance well. "You were saying, sir?"

The doctor withdrew his hand and laughed, "Oh, yes, I was going to ask what your relation is with Ms. Tsukino. Are you involved romantically with the lady?"

"Yes." He did not even hesitate when answering.

"Ah, good…that's good." Darien watched the older man rub his chin; his patience wearing thin. "I want to make sure you know that even if Ms. Tsukino is to live, she may not recover."

"I understand that."

"And there may be certain complications that may affect her lifestyle—it could be a mental or physical problem, maybe even both, and so I want to inform you now of the seriousness of the her condition. Like I said, head injuries are unpredictable."

"As long as she lives, damn it; I'll be fine."

"No," the surgeon said grimly, "You don't understand, Mr. Chiba. Even if she were to live, she may never wake up."

His words hit like a bullet. The wind was definitely knocked out of him by the doctor's words, and Darien had to painfully swallow pass the lump in his throat to regain his composure. He couldn't believe it; he wouldn't. "You don't mean to say that she's in a coma, do you? Do you!" He demanded as his control slipped away.

The physician gulped, and hastily took a couple of steps back. "Yes, that's exactly what I mean."

Darien was shaking. He didn't know what he was feeling—he didn't know what to think, what to do—he was just lost; lost in a torrent of violent emotions. There was so many things rushing through his mind at once, he became immobile; it was like his body just shut down—as though his brain had just stopped the flow of blood through his veins, and slowly, little by little, his body just stopped all function. And the pain that consumed him only became stronger, until all he felt was a dull ache.

"Are you okay, Mr. Chiba?" The surgeon asked with growing concern as he watched the young man stiffen and then pale in complexion.

"That's impossible," Darien stammered, "Her head slammed against the pavement, but I'm sure the injury was not fatal. It couldn't have been!" Pulling on his hair as he raked his hands through the dark locks, Darien became frantic, "There must be some mistake."

"I'm sure the bump against the pavement wasn't all that bad, but the impact had a terrible affect on her skull. There was a lot of jarring up in her head and so the brain swelled; luckily we were able to stop the swelling in time before her involuntary actions were cut off completely and she stopped breathing. But still, I must remind you that all head injuries are very serious. It also seemed to me, that she must have been in a lot of shock at the moment of the accident, or else she wouldn't be in a coma. Her brain just completely shut down; I'm thinking that has to do with a lot of stress; an overload in the mind. I'm just preparing you for the worst. She could wake up any minute now, or…she just may never wake up."

Slowly, Darien slumped down in the chair he had been sitting in. A numbness settled over his mind, his body, his soul, as he took in what the doctor was telling him. "Are you sure," he asked, forcing down the pain in his chest.

"Yes I am." And with no words of sympathy, the surgeon patted Darien on his back and started down the hall, but stopped and turned around again. "And do as I say, Mr. Chiba, I know what's best, get that arm checked out."

* * *

Only the flashing light of the tiny television tube illuminated the dark room. Stretched before the TV set on an old worn out couch were Kenji and Ilene Tsukino. Cuddle and cozy beneath a quilt stitched together by Ilene, they let the warm mind-fogging sensation of sleep lure them into a mellow and peaceful mood. 

"Can I turn it off now, dear?" Kenji asked as he reached for the remote on the glass coffee table in front of them. Ilene had tricked him into agreeing to watch a Japanese drama she had borrowed from a friend, and they had been watching it for the pass four hours. He had dozed off now and then in between the slow parts, but his wife had not yet even blinked an eye.

"No!" Ilene whispered harshly, putting more weight onto her husband's chest so he wouldn't move. "Not yet, dear," she explained, not taking her eyes off the flashing screen, "I think she's about to tell him that she has a terminal disease."

Kenji frowned, "But you said that _he_ was the one who dies in the end?"

Snuggling comfortably in her husbands embrace, Ilene nodded her head, "They both die, honey."

"Well isn't that a happy ending," Kenji bit out dryly.

"It's a tragedy, Kenji, not a romance." Ilene reprimanded, her voice portraying her irritation with his questions.

"Could've fooled me," Kenji was fed up. He sat up quickly and reached for the remote.

Almost thrown off the couch, Ilene glared at her husband. "Hey!" She shouted, and then righted herself in a sitting position on the next cushion beside him. "Don't you dare turn it off, don't you dare, Kenji!" Her eyes widened when she spotted the remote in his hand. "You'll be cooking your own dinners, I tell you!"

Her threat made him pause, but only for a moment, a tiny fraction of a second. The revving sound of the video player turned off. Ilene's eyes shot daggers at her husband.

Catching the look on his wife's face, Kenji shrugged. "What?" He asked innocently, "It was a stupid show anyway," he tried to justify his action.

There was no use trying to soothe her now; Ilene was furious. "Not to me it wasn't! If you didn't like it you should've gone to bed. Give me that remote!" Launching herself at Kenji, she attempted to retrieve the remote.

"Ilene, stop it," Kenji tried to reason in between fighting off his wife's attacks, "You're acting like your daughter."

"Give me that remote and go to sleep, damn you!" Ilene said through gritted teeth. Her husband held her hands in a tight grip above her head; she was trying desperately to free herself.

"Why do you want to watch such stupid things? Let's watch something else," Kenji argued, holding Ilene down by her arms. When he thought he had won, her legs started kicking.

"If you don't want to watch it, go to bed!"

"Why don't _you_ got to bed, and let _me_ watch TV?" Kenji groaned as one of Ilene's feet managed to kick him right in the stomach.

"I was watching it first!" Ilene declared hotly.

Kenji gave her an exasperated look as he finally was able to pin down her legs. "You tricked me."

Rolling her eyes, Ilene shook her head. "You wanted to watch it."

"You lied to me," Kenji said insistently.

"I did not," Ilene tried to shrug her husband off her, "Let go of me. I'm calm. I swear I won't do anything." Kenji gave her a wary look before he reluctantly let go of her.

"I told you it was a movie that was set in the old days about a samurai who wanted to avenge the death of his family, and you were all like 'Yeah, let's watch it!'." Ilene glared at her husband.

"And you lied!" Kenji pointed an accusatory finger at her, "It wasn't about a samurai who wanted to avenge his family! Come on, admit it, it's a damn love story!"

"If you didn't interrupt me and say, 'Yeah, let's watch it!' you would have heard the whole story! I was going to say that it was about a samurai who wanted to avenge his family, but on his journey he falls in love with the girl who is arranged to marry the guy who killed his mother and father and sister!"

There was a long moment of silence after her proclamation.

Kenji blinked, "Oh."

Ilene gave him a knowing look, and she laughed. "Yeah, 'oh'."

"W-well, you should've told me anyways!" Kenji stuttered, looking completely foolish.

"Oh, Kenji," Ilene laughed, grabbing him around the waist to hug him, "I love you."

"Hmph," was Kenji's acknowledgement of her declaration, "You still lied to me." He wrapped his arms around her nonetheless.

"You lied to yourself," Ilene smiled.

"Still," Kenji said in an unbending tone, "We're going to watch something else; we've been watching that drama since Serena left, and it still hasn't gotten anywhere."

"But—" Ilene began to protest, but Kenji held up his hand in a don't-question-me gesture.

"You can watch it after I watch the news."

Mollified, Ilene nodded, "Why would you want to watch the news anyways, nothing important goes on at this time of the night."

Yawning, Kenji settled back down on the couch. Stretching out his legs, he brought his wife down to lie in front of him. "What was that event Serena said she was going to?" He asked; throwing his arm around Ilene.

"A birthday party, dear," Ilene answered as she directed her attention to the television set.

"I know, but who was it for?"

"She said it was for her friend named Mina, Aino Mina," Ilene yawned too; she moved a hand to close over her mouth.

"Isn't she that rich girl?" Kenji speculated.

His wife lifted her shoulders in a shrug, "I don't know. She said…she…" Ilene yawned again, "She met her at school."

That statement woke them up. "That means they _must _be covering the party!" Kenji exclaimed, sitting up.

"Hey," Ilene shouted as he pushed her off.

"Honey, honey, look!" Kenji said excitedly, pointing to the TV screen and smiling like an idiot.

Ilene moved to sit next to her husband. "Is this it?" She raised her brows in question as she read 'Live coverage at Aino Minako's Birthday Bash'.

"Sh…" Kenji brought his finger up to his mouth, warning her to stay quiet as Aino Minako walked up on stage.

"She's beautiful," Ilene breathed.

"Quiet," Kenji hissed as the blonde began speaking. With one last irritated look at her husband, Ilene focused her attention on the newscast, hoping to get a glimpse of Serena.

She was not disappointed. Pictures of Serena in her lovely gown, dancing with men and talking with the birthday girl came on the screen one right after the other as Aino Minako spoke. When she finished her speech, both Kenji and Ilene were speechless.

"Oh my…" Ilene managed to say, a hand had moved up to spread across her pounding heart. "My baby."

"She ran off with a man?" Kenji bellowed, jumping to his feet.

"I believe she's to marry him," Ilene's eyes widened, making note of the pretty girl's speech. "She's been dating him all this time and she hasn't told us! Oh my, and he's a Chiba! Do you think we should tell her about, well, you-know-what?" Ilene asked excitedly, grabbing onto her husbands arm.

"She's going to _have_ to marry the bastard now!" Kenji was shaking with furry, "It's everywhere; all of Japan is watching this. Her reputation will be blemished forever if she doesn't marry the man! I'll kill him!"

A soft smile curved Ilene's lips as she looked up at her husband's face, "Now, Kenji, there's probably a reasonable explanation for all this. You just need to be patient and—"

The next report on the broadcast stopped her train of thought.

_"We've got a lead on where Chiba Mamoru, twenty-three, and this Ms. Tsukino, eighteen, are," the female broadcaster said. "Chiba, heir to Chiba Inc., was last spotted at Aino Minako's birthday bash earlier this evening with Tsukino._

_"I know where; at a hotel." The man sitting beside the female laughed._

_"Hey, that'd be my guess too, if I didn't know what happened to them," the woman joked._

_"So where are they?" _

_"Oh, right," pulling her shoulders back, the lady said directly into the camera, "According to my resources, Mr. Chiba and Ms. Tsukino are at the Tokyo Hospital right now. Supposedly, a semi-truck out of nowhere sped down 9th Avenue and nearly struck Ms. Tsukino. From witnesses at the scene, they say that if it were not for the young Mr. Chiba, jumping to save Ms. Tsukino, she would be dead. Instead she suffered a head injury and was sent off in an ambulance to the nearest hospital. We have, Hana at the scene of the accident right now. Hana, what can you tell us about the accident?"_

_"Oh wow, this is a very tragic accident according to what witnesses here are telling me. The accident occurred at eleven, exactly three hours ago and as you can see behind me, a crowd still gathers here to ask whether or not the couple who had been in the accident are okay," Hana, dressed in a dark blue blazer said solemnly. _

_"Why do you say tragic?"_

_Hana shook her head, "Well, to my understanding, Ms. Tsukino came running across the street here," she pointed behind her, "and she seemed to be crying; that's what witnesses are telling me. And then Mr. Chiba came running after her, but he stops at the sidewalk and from there he attempts to try and talk to the hysterical young lady; she was very upset about something, and she began shouting at him. Nobody seemed to remember seeing the semi drive up the street until it was already too late and it seemed like Ms. Tsukino would be hit. But Mr. Chiba managed to push Ms. Tsukino so that they both were out of harms way."_

_"Behind me right now, they are cleaning the blood off the sidewalk. You can probably see the caution tapes and the police cars too. Oh, it's Mr. Chokichi; he was here at the moment of the incident. Mr. Chokichi, can you please tell us what happened after Mr. Chiba pushed Ms. Tsukino out of the way."_

_In a strained voice, the old man nodded, "It was a terrible sight. He planned to save her, but he ended up damaging her head in the process, poor fellow."_

_"You're talking about Mr. Chiba?" Hana asked to make sure._

_"Yes, I'm talking about Mr. Chiba, who else?" The old man answered in an annoyed voice._

_"And what happened after Mr. Chiba realized that Ms. Tsukino's head had been injured—did he call the police?"_

_"No, he didn't," Chokichi answered, "I did."_

_Surprised, the woman repeated, "You did?"_

_"Yes, I did," Chokichi looked at Hana as though she were the senile old one and not him, "The boy was in no state to. He wasn't thinking properly. I think seeing his girlfriend all cold and not moving scared the wits out of him. I've never seen such a touching show of emotion before, if I must say so myself. The boy looked so distraught; I decided that I should get the ambulance for him."_

_"What can you tell us about Ms. Tsukino and Mr. Chiba's injuries, Mr. Chokichi?"_

_"The girl was bleeding a lot from the back of the head. That much, I could see; I think it was banged on the pavement. Other than the fact that she was unconscious I can't tell you anything more, I'm not a physician. And the boy's arm was pretty banged up too."_

_"Oh dear, all right, thank you Mr. Chokichi for the information," Hana said, dismissing the old man. "There you have it," she said to the camera. "The authorities here say that Ms. Tsukino has been checked into Tokyo Hospital. At the moment her condition is still not yet known, but Mr. Chiba is believed to be fine. The police have already started hunting for the semi that was believed responsible for the incident. Almost running over a civilian would have to mean that the driver must have run a red light and may possibly have been speeding. That's it for now."_

_"Thank you, Hana. Ms. Tsukino attends Akita University. She is reported to be close friends with a number of socialites including Aino Minako, Mizuno Amy and Chiba Rei. That's all we have on her, she's really an unknown person to the media at the mom—"_

From inside the Tsukino's empty apartment, the sound of an old nearly-broken-down engine come to life as a car pulled out from in front of the building and went zooming towards Tokyo Hospital.

* * *

The hand on his shoulder was not unnoticed to Darien. He just didn't feel like acknowledging it. And so he stayed in his position, with his head in his hands and his shoulders slumped over his body. 

"You look like shit," Malcolm said gently. He moved his hand, and took a seat next to his friend. Feeling awkward and completely useless, Malcolm leant forward on his knees and cast a grim sideways look at Darien.

Turning his head to the side, Darien gave Malcolm a small smile that he didn't quite feel. "I know I do," he replied, and then he turned his head away again. Not wanting to deal with even one of his best friends, and yet he had reporters and the police pounding on his back for answers.

"Whoa, what happened to your arm?" Malcolm prodded at it, expecting Darien to flinch.

He didn't.

Instead, Darien just gave him that smile of his again, and said, "Scraped it pretty good, huh?"

Malcolm nodded, not liking this side of his friend at all. He'd seen Darien at his low points, growing up with him and all, and it was usually when Darien could not protect his younger sister, Rei, from their father's beatings, but this was a low that Malcolm had never seen before, or rather, a low that he thought he would never see on Darien. Because he looked as though…he had just lost everything that was important to him.

"What kind of service do they have in this hospital?" Malcolm asked looking down the empty hall, "Have they taken a look at your arm yet?" When Darien nodded, Malcolm gulped. "Then how come it hasn't been cleaned? God damn it, Darien!" Malcolm roared, getting to his feet.

This outburst caught Darien's full attention; his head snapped up to stare questioningly at his friend. His brows furrowed together in confusion.

"Don't look at me like that!" Malcolm yelled. He wasn't mad at Darien. No, he was furious with him. "What the hell are you moping about for? Aren't you happy; isn't this what you wanted?"

Darien sat up in his chair, a mean scowl on his face. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"You can stop the pretense there, Darien. I know you, hell; you're like a brother to me. So I want the truth from you. Isn't this what you wanted to happen to Serena; did you get what you want?"

His hands closed into tight fists at his sides at Malcolm's absurd accusations. Darien studied the fair-haired man's face, looking for any clue to what kind of game he was playing, but found none. He found nothing but genuine anger. "Of course not. What would make you think I wanted this to happen to Serena?" Darien demanded; his fists shaking from all the restraint he put on them.

"I don't know," Malcolm shook his head with disgust, "Maybe it was that kiss you gave her right in front of all of those reporters, or maybe it was your announcement that she and you were getting married. Didn't you do it to make her a laughingstock and strip her of her pride in front of national television? She messed up your plan didn't she? She slapped you right after you told the media you two were going to get married, and ruined your plans, huh? When you ran after her, it was only to pay her back for humiliating you, am I right? As soon as you saw that truck coming towards her, you thought 'hey why not just kill her, and make it look like an accident' because you knew that stripping her of her pride and dignity on live TV was equivalent to death itself to her. You knew that Darien, and yet you made her a laughing stock for Japan to see. You used her, she was your pawn in that stupid little lie you're trying so hard to hide from Mina! You killed her, you killed Ser—"

Before Malcolm could finish, Darien's fist rammed into his jaw. He flew backwards at the impact, but by the time he registered what had happened, Darien picked him up by the collar of his shirt and punched him again.

"Shut up!" Darien yelled through clenched teeth as an anger stronger than any he ever felt before took over him. "You don't know what you're saying."

Throwing Malcolm up against the white walls, Darien looked him square in the eyes, and for a moment Malcolm thought he was looking into the eyes of a lunatic. Slowly Darien raised his arm for another blow, and Malcolm closed his eyes for the next impact. He was heavily breathing and the swelling of his lips were of no help to him, but despite all of that, he felt like laughing. He had accomplished it.

Suddenly he felt a rush of air caress his face, but no pain. Nothing. With one eye clenched shut, he opened the other and found a heavy breathing Darien still looking at him with a murderous glint in his eyes, but his fist, instead of raised in front of Malcolm's face, was firmly planted by the side of Malcolm's head on the wall.

In amazement, Malcolm watched as Darien pulled away and crumbled beside him onto the floor. "I know I did," Darien said in a voice Malcolm could hardly believe was his friend's; it sounded so scared, so full of confusion, and pain, it was not the same calm and authoritative voice that commanded so many employees and business partners of a multi-billion dollar company, and Malcolm felt a gut wrenching sensation seize him. "I know I'm the one responsible for killing her…I don't need you to tell me that. I know I did."

And with that, Darien rose to his feet again and disappeared into the door across the hall from where he and Malcolm had sat.

Malcolm slid to the floor. He smiled. Raising a hand to his face he slowly rubbed at the pain in his jaw. When the pain slowly went away, he moved his jaw from side to side.

A wide grin stretched across his face as he just looked at the closed door that Darien had went through. He had been scared to death his little scheme wouldn't work, but everything went according to plan, and all he could do was grin like a simpleton.

"What possessed you?" Rei shrieked, kneeling down in front of him. "Are you crazy? Are you high?" She demanded, shoving at his shoulders, looking more confused at the smile he wore.

"No to both accounts," Malcolm laughed, shaking his head. "You see, that was what I call pure genius."

"Pure genius? That was more like _pure insanity_!" The raven-haired beauty declared breathlessly, completely taken aback by the scene she had just witnessed. "For a second there I thought he was going to kill you!"

Another silly grin contorted Malcolm's lips, "So did I."

Grabbing Malcolm's jaw in her hand, Rei tipped it from side to side examining the damage, "I don't know why you're smiling; your face will be black and blue tomorrow."

"Trust me I did everyone a favor," Malcolm pulled her hand away from his sore face, "You can thank me later."

"Whoa, I know that Mina might want to bust you up a little for calling her a heartless bitch, but I don't know why you went and got yourself bloodied by my brother."

"Darien needed a wake up call, Rei." Malcolm spat into the napkin that Rei handed to him and frowned at the blood he saw. "Hell, he beat me up _that_ bad?"

Laughing, Rei rolled her eyes. "I don't know why guys think they're so tough."

Ignoring her comment, Malcolm went on to explain his actions. "Did you see the state he was in Rei?" He asked, referring to Darien. "He was crawling into a shell; not allowing any type of emotion to penetrate through the walls he built up. That's how much pain he's in, Rei; he's in so much pain the only way he can protect himself is by withdrawing from everything around him. According to the nurses I talked to, Darien hasn't moved from these chairs; not even to take a look at Serena. It's killing him, knowing that he was the cause of all her pain."

"And how the hell did you help?" Rei snorted, dabbing at his bleeding lip with her napkin until he swatted it away. She frowned.

"I made him feel."

With an eyebrow cocked Rei gave him a sardonic grin. "You made him feel what?"

"Let's just say I brought him back to the world of the living." Malcolm said wryly.

"You're strange, you know that?" She said, moving to sit beside him on the cold linoleum floor.

"Look its easy enough to understand," Malcolm gave her an annoyed look. "Darien was closing off on all emotions, and I was able to make him feel anger. Fresh, raw anger that consumed him to the point where he wanted to hurt me."

"Hmph," Rei drew her legs up to her chest, "Anyone could have done that, Sherlock."

"But you couldn't," Malcolm chided, chucking her under the chin playfully, "You didn't even understand what I was explaining to you."

"Shut up," Rei growled, shoving his hand away, "I could too. What's so hard about what you did? All you did, basically, was point out that he was a jackass and a murderer. I could've done that. Piece of cake."

Malcolm snorted.

"I resent that," Rei glared.

"Where's everyone?" Malcolm queried, shooting her a curious glance.

Rei shrugged, "Downstairs in the lobby waiting."

"Why?"

* * *

A sneaky smile curved Rei's red lips, "I told them that Darien wanted to see you and me first." 

"And they believed you?" Malcolm's eyes lit with amusement.

"Yep," Rei laughed, "I can be _very_ convincing! Ha, I deserved an Oscar for that performance! You know what an Oscar is, don't you? It's an award they give you in the United States for—"

"I know what an Oscar is," came Malcolm's clip reply.

Lying cold and still on the hospital bed was his friend. A friend he had grown to cherish in the span of a few months. Now she was dying, and it was his fault. Suddenly everything that had happened since their first meeting seemed like a long blissful dream sequence.

He was awake now. A bit dazed, but awake.

Raking a hand through his ebony locks, Darien released a frustrated sigh. He walked forward, away from the door towards the bed and ran a quick eye over Serena's lifeless body which was hooked onto life-support. The machine in the corner recorded her heartbeat by a rising and falling line. The smell of disinfectant and medical equipments filled Darien's nostrils; that combined with the white-washed color of the room made his stomach churn.

Raising his hand to rest on the bed, Darien continued forward, moving his hand up until it closed over the patient's cold ones. Pulling up a chair from behind him, he sat down to better look at Serena's beautiful face.

She looked just as she always did; magnificent. Maybe a bit paler, but completely breathtaking. Long dark curly lashes lay upon skin the color of cream as she slept. Luscious pink lips were parted in an 'O', completely with no strain upon her lovely face. The last time he had looked upon her lovely features they had been twisted in anguish, her eyes reflecting her tortured soul, her cries filled with agony. Now, she looked completely at peace lying still upon her hospital bed.

It wasn't supposed to end like this. Hell, if only he had been more honest with her, maybe she would have understood his actions, maybe she wouldn't have ran away from him. "Maybe," he murmured to himself as a bitterness consumed him. This was useless; he knew that. Okay, so he didn't handle the situation as smoothly as he would have handled most, but he couldn't drone about his techniques now. It was too late, and it wouldn't help him at all.

It was time to be honest. He didn't use Serena…well, not in the way Malcolm thought he did anyway. He didn't tell the media that he and Serena were going to get married just for the sake of saving his pride. In fact, he had been contemplating marriage since the moment Serena had looked up at him with her eyes shining ever so bright to lecture him on the proper way European's danced the waltz. She was an amusement he would never tire of.

But his intentions weren't all that honest either. His thoughts on marriage to the beautiful girl were not based upon love. They were the result of careful planning and reasonable thinking.

He knew Serena was bent upon independence; she needed no man to make her happy, she said. And he too was ready to proclaim himself a bachelor for life after his failed attempt to propose to Mina. That was the basis for his reasoning. Neither he nor Serena needed or wanted love from the other, and so their marriage would be nothing but a business partnership. She might be unwilling at first, but she would be able to produce him a legitimate heir, and he could support her financially. And since both felt a lasting attachment to the other, being very good friends and all, the public show of affection could easily be pulled off.

His plan was sound. It was perfect. Completely bullet proof. Except the fact that he forgot the tiny detail of sharing his wonderful plan with his soon-to-be-bride, and so she freaked and ran away. Next time, he assured himself, he would make sure to pay attention to _every_ tiny detail.

A humorless smile curved his lips as he pondered on his thoughts. Rubbing a thumb across his chin in an unconscious action, he breathed in sharply, furious at his mistake.

The wait was killing him. His patience was wearing thin, and his control was about ready to snap. He had no one to blame but himself for the way he was feeling. It was his entire fault that Serena was on the brink of death. Reaching a hand to curve around her pale face, Darien caressed her silky cheeks soothingly.

And that was the scene Kenji and Ilene Tsukino witnessed when they burst into the hospital room.

When her eyes fell upon the handsome dark haired man tenderly caressing her daughter's face, Ilene's breath caught in her throat. The look in his eyes was so tender and sorrowful; there was no doubt in her mind that he loved Serena. Her heart swelled at the picture they made.

Kenji, however, did not seem to share his wife's sentiments. "Who the hell are you?" He shouted, bounding towards the young man touching his daughter.

Ilene watched, a fiery tint rising in her cheeks from embarrassment, as Chiba's head whipped around to glare coldly at her husband. Oh dear, she couldn't help but think to herself. Kenji could be so hot headed at times.

To Ilene's surprise, the young man took no offense to her husband's rudeness, and withdrew his hands from Serena to offer it in a handshake to the older man. "Chiba Mamoru." Though his tone was rather curt, Ilene could tell he was a rather patient man.

"Well we are her parents, Mr. Chiba," Kenji announced with pride. He did not make an effort to take Darien's hand.

Letting his hand fall to his side, he slipped them into his pockets. Staring coolly down at the short middle-age man, Darien said, "In that case I think I should leave you two alone with your daughter for a few minutes."

He meant to dismiss himself; that was obvious. But Ilene didn't want him to leave yet, she wanted him to answer her questions. She wanted to know her soon-to-be-son-in-law.

Just as his hand clasped around the door knob, she called out to him. "Don't go; not yet."

Turning around, Darien gave Serena's mother a charming smile. "I really don't think I should intrude."

"Why the hell not," Kenji drawled, taking his daughter's hand, "You're here already." He gave the young man a hard stare.

Pleased by her husband's, cooperating disposition, Ilene rushed forward to take the young man's arm, who blinked in surprise, and pulled him deeper into the room. "We really want to thank you for saving our daughter," Ilene smiled looking maternal; a look that Darien had never seen before in his own mother's face.

"I'm sorry I couldn't do more for her."

The biting chill of his comment was not lost to Ilene; his sarcasm confused her.

Thinking that the boy probably did not believe their gratitude, she said again, "Nonsense, if it weren't for you my daughter would be in a much worse condition. We're in debt to you."

Darien thought she didn't know how wrong her statement was. If it wasn't for him, their daughter would have never even been placed in such danger. Instead of thanking him, they should be repulsed by his presence. It was even hard for _him _to not feel disgusted with his behavior. He didn't deserve their appreciation, or the glowing and tender gaze Serena's mother was giving him.

"Mamoru, I can call you Mamoru can't I?" Ilene reached out a gentle hand.

"Call me Darien," he answered, looking down at the feminine hand clasping his arm.

Ilene blinked. "An English name," she breathed.

Darien nodded.

"Just like Serena," Ilene said slowly.

"Um, a lot of people go by English names nowadays." Darien replied, slightly curious of the dazed look that came over the woman.

Ilene smiled, "Maybe for you big business people, dealing with oversea clients, but not for us. Not for Serena."

Puzzled, Darien raised an inquisitive brow. "Serena is just a nickname though. Isn't her real name Usagi?" He tried to hide his curiosity with a mild tone.

"Oh, goodness, no. Her real name is Serena, but don't tell her that. She may just flip." Ilene laughed.

That little bit of information startled Darien. He smiled and played along. "Does she oppose the English name?"

Ilene snorted. "No, she does not. It's just that—"

"Ilene," Kenji said quietly. He was giving her a warning.

Realizing her near slip, Ilene laughed. "A tale for another time maybe. What we want to know, however, is what has happened to our daughter."

"Of course," Darien nodded. "I will answer any question you have for me to the best of my knowledge."

"In that case, young man, take a seat." Kenji ordered; stepping away from his daughter's bedside.

"I'd rather not," Darien replied dryly.

"Oh, but we insist." Ilene said sweetly.

Crossing his hand's over his chest, Darien braced his legs apart, and frowned down at the couple. "I'll stand."

And he stood. He stood in his same dominating stance, scrutinizing each parent.

The first to speak was Ilene. "W-we saw all that happened on the news. What we really want is the truth, your side of the story. Can you, I mean, will you tell us?"

Darien sympathized with the man and woman seated before him. For any parent to find out that their child had just been in a terrible accident through a reporter's demure account of the situation must be awful. He eased his frown just a bit.

"I'm afraid I'm the cause of your daughter's current condition, ma'am."

"No, you mustn't blame yourself, Darien," Ilene shook her head, "And call me Ilene, its only right since I'm addressing you by your first name."

"Actually, I really am at fault," he continued to persist. "You see, your daughter and I had not yet settled the issue of marriage and she was terribly upset that I had announced it to the media." It was a little white lie, but there was no turning back now.

Ilene grabbed hold of her husband's hand, who was preparing to rise out of his chair. "Kenji," she said in a pleading whisper, and then turned her attention back onto Darien. "Please explain."

"I just did."

"Wait a minute," Kenji growled, "Are you saying that you announced to the media that you planned to marry my daughter when she had not yet given you her approval, and so she became upset and threw herself in front of an oncoming vehicle? My daughter would do no such thing!"

"I would have never guessed," Darien said mockingly. His hands dropped to his sides as he clenched them into tight fists. "Of course Serena would never contemplate suicide. I really don't think you have to know her more than five minutes to figure that out."

"Are you being cheeky with me?" Kenji roared.

"Now, Kenji, be polite to the young man. He's the only one who can tell us what happened to our daughter," Ilene soothed her husbands temper.

"Sit back down, Mr. Tsukino," Darien nodded to the chair.

"I'll stand," Kenji said blandly.

"You'll sit."

The dangerously low pitch of Darien's voice proved to be very persuasive. Kenji sat. But he did not get comfortable. No. He sat stiffly and erect.

When Darien was satisfied, he continued. "Serena is very prideful."

"Hm…" Ilene smiled warmly, "I don't know where she gets it from."

Darien went on as if she had never interrupted him. "Hurt by my rash actions. She decided to leave the party. I went after her, hoping to explain, but I believe I only made things worst. I finally caught her attention just as she was crossing the road, and that was when the vehicle almost hit her. It was my fault; if I had not distracted her, she probably would not have been in the way of the truck. I accept full responsibility for this mishap."

A long moment of silence passed. Darien waited for his confession to sink in, and prepared for burst of anger that the Tsukinos' would surely unleash upon him.

They laughed, and quite loud at that.

Darien frowned in confusion as he watched the couple shake uncontrollably with giggles.

"Oh, son," Kenji said warmly between guffaws. "I hardly doubt it was your fault at all. You see, the police believe the truck driver is completely at fault. Whoever was driving that thing was being reckless and probably drunk for that matter, so you needn't beat yourself with blame. When they find the driver, he will rot in jail."

Dumb-struck, Darien could only shake his head in affirmative. "I will make sure of it."

"People are truly terrible these days," Ilene shook her head. "The driver didn't even pull over to see what the damage was. I think that's what made the police most suspicious, I mean, if I nearly hit someone, I would at least stop to see if they were all right."

"I-I'm still not sure if the truck driver is at fault." Darien scowled, mulling the thought over.

"Oh, really, Darien," Ilene smiled, "You shouldn't be so hard on yourself. There were witnesses there. They all reported that the truck was speeding and made no attempt to even stop. In fact, they said the vehicle seemed to appear out of nowhere. So you see, you have dozens of people ready to vouch for you."

Knowing it was no use to argue the issue with the two, Darien just nodded. "If that's all you wanted to know, I think I'll leave you alone with Serena now."

"Can you tell us our daughter's condition as well? Her doctor was busy with another patient and we asked the nurses but they refused to tell us anything. To tell you the truth, I don't think they believed we were really Serena's parents," she whispered this to him in a tone that he thought suggested that she found it funny.

Looking at Ilene and Kenji, Darien could hardly see the resemblance between Serena and her parents. Ilene had a natural blue tint in her hair and Kenji had brown. Serena was clearly a natural blonde. Ilene had blue eyes, but they were not as clear and brilliant as her daughters, and Kenji had dark brown irises. And besides the physical appearances, Serena had been rushed into the emergency room in a Gonroku gown, while her parents were dressed like, well, ordinary citizens. He wasn't trying to sound superior. It was just that, he knew that was what the nurses must have been thinking as they studied the couple claiming to be the parents' of Serena.

"I'm sorry, I thought you had already been informed," Darien apologized stiffly. "To tell you the truth, I'm not quite sure either. The surgeon informed me that her condition is yet to be determined. Right now, she's in a coma, but she may slip away at any time."

Ilene clasped a hand to her mouth. Kenji wrapped an arm around her. "But that must mean that she can awake at anytime as well."

"Like I said, her condition is to be determined, but, yes, she is not in any real danger."

"Thank the heavens," Ilene sighed. She looked ready to swoon. "My poor baby." Pulling away from her husband, she knelt down at Serena's bedside and gently brushed away a strand of golden blonde hair off her daughter's face. "Mommy's here, darling."

Darien winced, not wanting to give her false hope. "I'm not a doctor, so you really can't take my word for anything. I'm just reiterating what I was told."

Ilene nodded, sniffled, then wiped away the tear that was fast falling down her cheek. "You've done so much for my little girl. How can we repay you?" As she said this, she never took her gaze off her daughter.

"The only way you may repay me, is by giving me your whole-hearted approval to marry your daughter."

That statement finally managed to take Ilene's gaze off Serena. "You'll still marry her, even after all of this?"

"My word is honorable." Darien tried not to sound insulted.

Ilene saw the rigid set in the young man's jaw and flushed. "Yes, of course. There is no doubt in my mind that you are a very honorable man Darien, it's just that—that—"

"What my wife means to say is that will you still love Serena and cherish her if she does not return to her prior state of being?"

"Crippled or otherwise, I will have her." Darien said wryly.

Sighing with relief, Ilene burst into tears of joy and threw herself at a very perplexed Darien. "You're an angel, that's what you are. You're Serena's guardian angel."

Darien was stunned. He'd been called many things in his lifetime ranging from a number of curses relating to his birth to a number of silly metaphors relating to his mortality, but never had he been called an angel. Never.

"I-I guess I have your blessing then." Darien slowly patted the crying woman in his arms.

"I'm still a little peeved that Serena has never mentioned you before..." Kenji scratched his head irritably. "But you have my blessing…so long as Serena agrees."

Though he had watched Serena blossom into a beautiful young woman, Kenji had to admit he'd never taken the time to talk with his daughter. Sure he did spend a great deal of time lecturing her and teaching her through the years, but now, more than ever, he realized that he didn't even know his own daughter. Hell, he loved her, but was his love enough to be her confident? This made him wonder.

He had to put aside his own feelings. That was his problem. Maybe all that he had believed was right and justified were never really, well, right and justified. Every decision he made was based upon his own feelings, never did he stop to think about how his wife would feel or how his daughter might react, thus their poverty. Surely that was why Serena never mentioned Darien; maybe she didn't want him to tell her she was making the wrong choice. Kenji knew he could not stand before his daughter's happiness. If marriage was what she wanted, it would be what he wanted too.

Immensely relieved by Kenji's reluctant approval, though he did not look it, Darien nodded his head. He might have taken the wrong approach in warming Serena to the prospect of marriage, but that didn't mean he would botch up the rest of his plan. If he followed through with great caution, there was no doubt that everything would turn out just as he planned. Serena deserved the best. And he wanted to be the one to give it to her.

Without another word, he turned towards the door and grabbed hold of the doorknob.

Nine astonished people spilled into the room when he pulled the door open.

"Oh dear, is that you Lita?" Ilene queried breathlessly.

Raising a hand from under the pile of bodies, Lita managed to say with a mouthful of Mina's hair, "How you doing, Ms. Tsukino?"

Ilene laughed as she watched the kids jump under Darien's hard gaze. She decided she liked the way he radiated power. Serena needed a man like that, one who could bring order to her world. As her mother, Ilene couldn't have been happier for her daughter.

"How come I don't find this surprising?" Darien's cool remark made the group of friends standing before him squirm guiltily. Not even the bored tone in his voice hid underlying chill of his comment. He was chastising them, but in such a sarcastic attitude that it stung so much more than it would have if he would have given them a cruel remark.

"Cut us some slack." Zachary shrugged, and then casually slipped his hands into his pant pockets, avoiding any eye contact with the dangerous looking Darien. "If you would have just come clean and told us what the deal was, we wouldn't have to resort to such drastic measures to get some information."

Darien swallowed passed the aching lump in his throat and then raised a shaky hand to pinch the area between his eyes. His frustration was visible. "You guys would have found out. You're all here, aren't you?"

"But that's different, Darien." Mina stepped forward, her hand raised to her heart. "There's a difference between finding out from a friend or from a fucking news reporter, and you know what? We all would have preferred hearing it from you. Goodness, you're our friend, we've known each other all our lives and yet you can't trust us with the truth? That really hurts."

Her words cut like a knife. He had admitted that to himself just a few minutes ago when the Tsukino's had pleaded him for the truth. In fact, he had been filled with sympathy. He had pitied them for having to hear that their daughter may be dying in a hospital through a reporter's demure account of the situation on TV, when at the same time he was withholding Mina and Lita and Amy and Rei and Malcolm and Zachary and, well, everybody else's right to know what had happened to their friend.

"You're right, Mina," Darien replied with a derisive laugh, "You're absolutely right! I _should_ have told you all what happened. But I didn't, okay? I didn't, and now that you guys know, I don't think it's gonna make a difference whether or not she lives. Damn it, is that what you wanted to here? That you were right?"

"No!" Mina shouted. "It might not make a difference to you. It might not make a difference to her either," Mina nodded her head in Serena's direction, "But it makes a difference _us_," She indicated to the Tsukinos and then to everyone else behind her. "I—do you know what I was thinking all the while Serena was in the hospital getting surgery on her head?"

The tall blonde watched as Darien raked a hand through his hair, and then lifted his head to stare directly into her eyes.

"I wasn't thinking about Serena at all."

Malcolm stared wide eyed at Mina's back; completely caught off guard that she was admitting the truth. And then his heart swelled with pride as she continued talking. He knew then, at that moment, that Mina was finally growing up.

A tear ran down her cheek, but Mina made no attempt to brush it away as she held her head up and coolly looked into Darien's cynical ones. "I was thinking about myself and about the embarrassment I had just caused for you. I was thinking about how foolish I was and whether or not you would ever forgive me. I was thinking about how you never told me about your relationship with Serena and how this night was the first time I ever heard of any romantic feelings you might have had for her. Not one thought of mine concerned Serena; not one. I know how selfish that might sound, but that's nowhere as selfish as what you did, withholding Serena's accident from us. Do you know disgusted I am with myself after I saw the news report on the accident? Hell, here I was, the whole night, wondering if you'd forgive me, when really I should have been worried about whether or not Serena would live or die. I've never been so repulsed before, and by my own actions," her voice broke somewhere long ago in her short diatribe, now she was full on sobbing.

"So," she hiccupped, "you see, it would have mattered, if not to you, if not to Serena, if not to anyone else, it would have mattered to me."

She turned around to Malcolm just as she finished, looked him in the eye and then threw herself into his arms. "That's what you were trying to tell me, weren't you? Oh, gosh, Malcolm, I'm so selfish."

Malcolm wrapped her in a fierce hug. "Hell, not anymore you aren't."

His harsh whisper said into her hair as he rubbed his bruised lips across her forehead won a reluctant giggle from Mina, before she started bawling again.

"Heck, I think we've caused quite a scene, don't you?" Lita drawled. With her hands on her hips she let her gaze sweep across every face in the room and then chuckled. "We're really sorry for the interruption, Ms. Tsukino. We'll leave you two alone with Serena now, but be quick about it. We want some time with her too!"

Kenji frowned at her. "The only thing I'll be quick about, Lita, is being quick to shut the door on you. Now get out."

Darien was the first to exit. He hadn't spoken a word since Mina's outburst, and frankly, he didn't know what to say. Never in all the years he had known Mina, did he ever see her quite so courageous and so very upset. Those were real tears he saw, real feelings he heard, and a real Mina. Hell, if it had been love he felt for her in their relationship, then how come he could never bring out this side of her. It was Malcolm who was able to _really_ make her shine. That admission was a blow to his pride.

"Where you going man?" Nathan called after Darien's retreating back.

"For a walk," Darien called back.

"There's reporters crawling all over the place downstairs; you shouldn't leave."

"Don't worry. I'm not going downstairs."

"Darien…" Nathan said his name in a warning tone.

Lifting his injured arm, Darien replied, "I'm getting my arm cleaned up. I'll be back as soon as possible."

It turned out that as soon as possible was really a half hour wait, a couple of stitches, an x-ray, and a cast away. A total of three hours.

Darien was never going to watch a hospital scene in a movie or TV shows the same way ever again.

On a TV show when a patient rolls in on a stretcher through hospital doors, doctors and nurses swarm the person. After studying the patient for a few seconds, the doctor can easily figure out what is to be done, and will issue orders for the nurses to fulfill, before the patient has surgery or whatever. They get immediate service. But not in real life.

In real life, they have to wait in a tiny crowded room with a bunch of sick bleeding people to be seen by a nurse. In Darien's case, after he saw the assistant, who could do nothing for him, he was passed on to a doctor—oh but he couldn't forget the hour wait for that too. The medical assistant had to call someone who was trained in the particular area Darien needed, and who would be willing to take on the assignment (one would be surprised at the number of physicians who decline the offer to _help_ someone). When he finally had a doctor who was willing to work on his arm, the physician went over the same procedure the nurse already did, left Darien to wait for a half-hour more, and then came back to stitch up his wound.

Just when all seemed done, it really wasn't. The doctor wanted to give Darien an X-ray, and what were the odds that they would find a problem? Hm…apparently, the odds were quite high. It just so happened that his arm was fractured and needed a brace for it! And so he waited another hour for a different doctor to look at his X-rays and determine what was to be done.

All of this was going through Darien's mind as he walked back to the East wing of the hospital, where Serena's room was located. He was damned furious with the hospital staff. He did not have all the time in the world to simply hang out in a hospital room and wait for some incompetent physician to tend to his bleeding arm. Damn it, give him and a needle and thread and he could have done it himself, Darien fumed.

As he rounded the corner to Serena's room, he looked up and saw that everybody was still there, waiting outside the door. It was really a sight to see, for they were all still in formal wear. The defeated and exhausted expressions on their faces were all the same. Serena was truly a blessing. It was she who brought these people, all with different backgrounds and different interests, together to share each other's pain and to watch over a common friend. Darien realized at that moment that, some way, some how, Serena had managed to make a way into all of their hearts.

"What took you so long?" Nathan was the first to spot Darien walking towards them. He had been leaning against the wall across Serena's door, looking as though he were in deep thought. When he saw Darien, he straightened his position and great concern settled on his forehead.

Darien stopped walking when he reached the group. Slipping his hands into his pant pockets, he cocked his head to the side and said, ignoring Nathan's question, "Have you guys gone in yet?"

Rei sat on the chairs pushed up against the same wall Nathan had been leaning on. Looking up at her brother with her head in her palms, Rei answered quite flatly, "Yeah. The Tsukino's are inside with her again."

Malcolm, who was holding Mina in his arms beside Serena's room, cocked an eyebrow at his dark haired friend. "What the hell is wrong with your arm?"

Mina heard that question, and immediately dropped her gaze to Darien's brace. She gasped and then broke free from Malcolm's arm. "How did you get this?" She demanded, snatching up his injured arm.

Frowning, Darien pulled his arm out of the blonde's grasp. "Does a particular accident ring a bell?" He replied dryly.

"But how'd you get it?" Mina persisted.

"Banged it," Darien raised his shoulders in a shrug.

"You fractured it, I see," Amy stated, eyeing the brace. "Must have been a nasty scrape. I saw how your arm looked like just before you walked off. You got stitches too, didn't you?"

Taken aback by the blue haired heiress' correct deductions, Darien only managed to nod dumbly at her. He didn't know Amy well. All he knew about her pretty much tied with her family business and fortune, and besides that she was a friends of Serena's he didn't know much else.

Seeing the surprised look on his face, Amy smiled, guessing his thoughts. "I'm training to become a doctor."

Returning her smile, though only out of politeness, Darien queried, "So you're not continuing the family business?"

At the reference to Mizuno Corp, Amy nodded. "It's just not for me. Business, I mean." She flushed as she looked up at him.

"Your parents' support your decision then?" He perched a hip against the wall, giving her his full attention.

"Yes, they perfectly understand."

"Who'll be running Mizuno Corp. then? Aren't you your parents' only child?"

Amy nodded, "I am, but my father agrees that I really just don't have the tenacity to work in that field of work. He's, in fact, turning over the company to his assistant. He's a young man, in his mid-thirties, and can continue the business for him."

Somewhat shocked that Mr. Mizuno would have no qualm in handing over his business, which he had built himself from scratch to a multi-million dollar empire, to a man who was not family, Darien's forehead crinkled in a deep frown. He would never do such a thing if given the option between his child and employee. Darien was stunned that the Mizuno's could be so understanding that they would allow their only child to seek her own career path rather than take the one they'd already established. Such love and compassion from parental figures was strange to him; his mother and father never showing such weak emotions before, it was understandable he found the Mizuno's love for their daughter odd.

He replied in the only way he knew how. In a sarcastic drawl he teased, "I hope you'll be a better doctor than all of these kooks working in this joint. Maybe a bit faster too. They took two hours to find someone who'd stitch up my wound."

Laughing at his expression, Amy tilted her head back to look him in the eyes, her own were shimmering with mirth, she replied, "I hope so too."

"Two hours?" Zachary gaped. "You've gotta be kidding me."

"And another hour for them to take my X-ray and give me this brace," Darien raised his injured hand, taking a seat beside his sister.

"Well…you can't really blame them. There are a lot of people who also need medical assistance; you can't always expect to be taken care of first. That's why so many physicians decline assignments that are last minute; they already have a full schedule."

"Yo Amy," Lita laughed, "I don't think these guys really care."

Blushing, Amy bowed her head, "Right, sorry."

Zachary couldn't help but notice just how cute it was when Amy got embarrassed. She looked absolutely adorable, almost childlike. It was really hard for him to believe that anyone who grew up in their social circle could be so…pure-hearted. He didn't know what to make of her.

"I-I'm gonna go have some coffee, anyone want some?" Amy asked tentatively, looking around at the group surrounding her.

"How about some tea, can you bring me a cup of hot tea?" Lita requested with a small smile, though it seemed as though her mind was on something else. She was looking out the window at the end of the hall.

"Sure." Amy nodded.

"Bring the rest of us all a cup of coffee, will you, Amy? If that's not too much trouble?" Rei's gaze moved from one weary face to another and she thought it might do them some good.

"No, that's no trouble at all."

"Thanks Amy, you're a doll." Mina beamed at her friend, making her blush all the more.

"I'll go with you."

"Thanks," Amy immediately replied, and turned to see who had offered.

Zachary was standing just behind her.

She backed up a couple of steps. Gaining her composure, Amy smiled up at him, though she couldn't believe he would want to go with her. Wait a minute. Her logic was kicking in. He only wanted to help her; it didn't mean that he, well, _liked _her. That thought did not douse the flames in her cheeks, if anything, it made her much more embarrassed.

"No problem." Zachary casually threw his arms around Amy's shoulders and turned her around and led her down the hall. "Since you know so much about doctors, maybe you'll also know where to find the cafeteria in a hospital?"

Andrew shook his head at Zachary as he watched the blond steer Amy around the corner. He hadn't said a word since Darien's arrival. He was confused. Hell, he didn't know what to think anymore. Everything around him was happening just too quickly for him to comprehend, to grasp; it seemed as though he were merely an outsider looking in on a show, where everybody knew there parts but he didn't. Because he didn't have any.

The last time he checked, he was sure Serena was single. Damn, the last time he checked too, _he_ had been romantically interested with Serena not Darien. If all of that were true, how come this was the first time he had ever heard of his friend's intentions to marry Serena? Was it some kind of secret everybody was in on but him? No, he rejected that thought, everyone had been surprised by Darien's announcement of marriage. The more Andrew pondered the matter, the more befuddled he became. Nothing was making sense anymore.

"I need to talk to you," Andrew said in a quiet but firm voice. He looked up at Darien, who was sitting back in his chair with his head thrown back and eyes closed, and then started forward. He couldn't help but feel a little miffed. After all, was it not he, who had been deceived?

Darien's head snapped up at Andrew's tone. It was soft, but Darien could detect the anger. He didn't move. He just sat there, looking up at his friend unflinchingly.

"There's something I need to discuss with you privately, Darien," Andrew said through gritted teeth. The focus of his gaze was down the hallway.

Leaning back lazily in his chair, Darien crossed his long legs before him and studied Andrew's dark expression. There was no mistaking the way his voice had shook with strain when he spoke, and frankly, Darien was in no mood for a fight. As if he could keep his mind on anything else but Serena, he thought exasperatedly. But then he saw the rigid set in Andrew's jaw, and he knew that if he didn't cooperate with the blond, a fight would spill out right there.

They passed several nurses, who eyed them warily, as they rounded the corner. They continued down two more long hallways before they finally stopped. The two men stood in an empty corridor before a wide glass window, revealing a dark parking lot ten feet below.

Planting his hands on his hips, Andrew stared darkly at Darien. "How long have you and Serena been going out?" He barked the question.

Darien was not in the least disturbed by Andrew's furry. In fact, he actually looked quite bored with the topic. Shrugging his shoulders, Darien replied nonchalantly, "The moment we became friends."

That answer was not what Andrew wanted to hear. He scowled. "All right then," he bit out dryly, "When did you two become _romantically_ involved?"

Throttling the dark haired man seemed to be like a very good idea to Andrew as he watched Darien shrug again. "Am I to keep track of that stuff?"

Becoming furious with his friend's aloof attitude, Andrew sighed with frustration. "I need to know this, Darien." His hands came up to rub the weariness out of his face. "It's the only way I can come to terms with all that has happened tonight."

The pleading edge in Andrew's voice caught Darien's attention then, and he was won over by it. Nodding, Darien became serious. "What is it you want to know?" He casually crossed one of his legs over the other as he put more of his weight on the wall he was leaning on. Expecting a fight, he had not let up his guard, but now he saw that he had been ridiculous to believe that Andrew would challenge him.

To fight over a woman was crazy. Darien knew that. And he'd be damned if he ever did such a stupid thing, too. Nonetheless fight a friend for a woman. That would be _insanity_. Besides, Andrew and he had been friends for too long. Darien enjoyed Andrew's demented personality and bizarre jokes. There were only a few men whom he could trust, and Andrew was one of them.

"This," Andrew paused, trying to find the right words to express his thoughts. "This whole time, while I thought that it was me who Serena really liked, you and her were…a couple?"

He couldn't tell Andrew the truth. He couldn't say, "No, Serena and I had not even discussed dating, let alone marriage. I was only lying; it was you who she was actually going out with, you who she liked," because, really, who'd believe him after the media coverage of his 'heroic' act to save her? And he wouldn't deviate from his plan. Darien had already made up his mind to follow through with it no matter the consequences. That meant even if he had to tell a few lies.

"We were kind of together long before you asked her out." That cool statement was a major blow to the blond.

"And neither Serena nor you felt inclined to tell any of us that bit of information? She just led me on, thinking I had a chance?" It wasn't anger that made Andrew's voice tremble this time, it was hurt, and maybe just a little bit of rejection.

That's when he figured it out. At his own words he was reminded of a certain conversation he had with Serena. Andrew felt like an ass. He should have known. Serena had told him so. She had told him that one night, when they went out to dinner. He remembered how she looked so stunningly beautiful that it was hard for him to breathe each time she smiled. Now he felt like an imbecile.

The wind had picked up when he finally dropped her back off at her apartment. Curly blonde tresses swayed gently in the breeze as she stepped out of his car. How stupid could he be? She had told him right in his face, right then and there, that she wanted nothing but a platonic relationship with him; her exact words were, "Look, Andrew, I just want to be friends." And how did he react again? He had shook his head at her, he had laughed! Hell, he had insisted that she _felt_ something for him.

With his thumb and index finger holding his chin, Andrew nodded; it all was making sense to him now. "So that was what she was trying to tell me."

Quizzical, thick dark eyebrows rose at that remark. "Exactly _what_ are you talking about?"

"Serena," Andrew said in a duh-like tone. And he looked like it made perfect sense too.

Darien rolled his eyes. "Care to explain to me what is going on in that head of yours, Blondie?"

Ignoring the stereotypical comment, Andrew nodded. "I just realized what an ass I am."

Lifting his brows with interest, Darien invited Andrew to continue with his confession. "Shit, Darien," Andrew sounded irritated, "She told me right in my face that all she wanted from me was my friendship, and I insisted that she wasn't thinking straight, that she liked me but just hadn't realized it yet."

Darien was scowling by the time Andrew finished. "You're right," he drawled, "You _are_ an ass."

Andrew shot him a deadly glare. "Thanks, tell me something I don't know. As if I don't feel bad enough, Darien," he added with great distaste.

Smiling at Andrew's tone, Darien shook his head. "Have you heard of the phrase 'coming on _too_ strong'?"

"Sure, add insult to injury." Andrew was now the one scowling. "Look, Darien, no hard feelings. I didn't know Serena was going out with you—in fact I don't think _anybody_ knew until your marriage announcement tonight. Are you serious man? Marriage?"

"We'll have to see, now won't we?"

Andrew sobered at Darien's words. "Sorry," he said a bit awkwardly. He had almost forgotten Serena's condition, and he was feeling a bit ashamed. For some reason everything was becoming quite clear to him now. Everything was becoming so obviously clear that he couldn't believe that he had not ever noticed it before. He wasn't in love with Serena; Darien was. It was plain to see, one look at Darien, who was acting more like a worried husband than a worried friend, and _anyone_ could tell just how deeply distraught he was.

The calm resolve that Darien usually wore was put back on. "It's hard to believe isn't it?"

There was no mistaking that Darien was once again hiding behind his protective walls. His tone was brisk, his attitude was detached, and his jaw was clenched tightly shut. Besides that, he was becoming sarcastic again, and Andrew knew that Darien only did that when he was feeling a bit insecure. And right now, after coming to terms that Darien was really quite fond of Serena, if not in love, Andrew knew that his friend must really be feeling anxious.

Nodding his head in agreement, Andrew lightly punched Darien in the arm. Good-humoredly he said, "She'll get through it."

"Hell, she better," Darien growled, and then they both began walking back to Serena's hospital room.

* * *

"Oh my, Darien, what are you still doing here?" Ilene's worried voice woke him up from his short nap. 

On their way back, Andrew and Darien had ran into Zachary, who held three four-cup cup-holders in his hands, and Amy, who held, well, none in hers. When she saw them, Darien and Andrew, she immediately blushed, then pointed an accusatory finger at Zachary and explained that it was he who _insisted_ that she let him carry them all. In response to her outburst, Zachary just winked playfully at the red-faced Amy and struck a conversation with his two friends.

After giving Mr. and Mrs. Tsukino each a cup of hot coffee, the group of worried friends sat down in silence to contemplate the events of that night. As Darien looked around at each face, he was quite surprise that of all the ladies, it was his sister who was crying silent tears. He'd seen Rei cry; in fact Rei cried quite often, especially when their parents' abused her. But these tears that he saw now, flowing steadily down her face, were so tormentingly heart-wrenching, that he almost gave in to the impulse himself.

Lita was looking off into space with a most dazed look on her face. When Darien asked if she was okay, her reply was to smile and nod and then look away. Darien believed, Lita was suffering from major shock, either that, or the brunette had tremendous faith that Serena would come out of her coma unscathed.

Amy looked on the brink of tears, but was kept from weeping by Zachary's insulting comments purposely aimed to keep her from wallowing in sorrow. Her tears were not of the same as Rei's however. She, in fact, was upset that with all of her medical knowledge she couldn't be the one tending to Serena; instead she was reduced to waiting for updates from incompetent doctors.

Though Zachary was making his interest in Amy public knowledge, James took a roundabout approach. Standing beside Serena's door, with his head bowed, he occasionally stole glances at Rei, who was looking paler by the minute. He might have thought he was being subtle, but to everyone paying attention, which was Darien alone, his long gazes were much more obvious than Zachary's outrageous comments.

Everyone was exhausted. Mina was nodding off to sleep on her feet where Malcolm had his arms wrapped around her and Nathan was slouched over on a chair, his empty coffee cup by his feet, with his head in his hands. It was apparent they needed rest.

It was five in the morning when they left.

Darien remained, and sometime between five and nine in the morning he had fallen asleep. He was haunted by images of a bewitching blonde named Serena.

Ilene looked horrified that he had slept out in the hall. "Goodness, you should have come in," her frown was thoughtful. "You didn't have to stay the night, dear; you should go home and change. That outfit does not look entirely comfortable. Go on now." Her gaze swept over his disheveled appearance.

Darien's black tuxedo jacket was laid haphazardly across the arm of his chair. His white collared shirt was no longer tucked neatly into his pants but half was sticking out on one side while the other looked ready to spill out; the cuffs were folded up to his forearms and his bowtie was hanging loosely about his neck. Dark unruly hair fell onto his forehead slightly covering midnight blue eyes that still held traces of sleep in them. He looked a mess in Ilene's opinion; a rather handsome mess.

Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, Darien only shook his head. "I don't mind."

His tone suggested she did not argue, but she didn't give up without letting him see her displeasure. "Really, you are stubborn." she scowled.

Darien thought she was looking all motherly again. This time however, she was looking at him as though she had just caught him with his hand in a cookie jar. She even clucked her tongue at him.

"You didn't need to stay the night." She repeated again when he just continued to stare intrepidly into her eyes.

He had the audacity to smile at her. Then shook his head! Ilene thought the boy needed to learn his manners. "You should listen to your elders, and don't you dare shake your head at me again, Darien!"

He decided he liked Ilene. Darien nodded to appease her. "Yes ma'am."

"There, some manners," she beamed at him.

Noticing the car keys in her hands, Darien realized she must have been about to leave. He asked her so, and she shook her head vigorously. That made Darien doubtful. "Oh no," she said quickly, and then she let out a nervous giggle. "I wasn't about to leave. Not at all. Besides, why would I leave without my husband?"

As if on cue, Kenji came out of Serena's room and called, "Ready to go, Ilene?"

Her shoulders slumped in defeat then; Darien was reminded very much of Serena by that action. The older woman turned to glare ferociously at her husband. "Go where?" She said in an I-really-don't-know-what-you're-talking-about-but-I-actually-do tone.

Confused by his wife's strange behavior, Kenji absently laid his jacket over one arm, and blinked curiously at Ilene. "Home, of course—oh Darien, still here?" He finally noticed the way Ilene was jabbing her head towards her left.

When Darien nodded, Kenji frowned. "They let you sleep here?" Of course when he said 'they' he was referring to the hospital. "Isn't there a particular curfew for guests to visit patients?"

Darien shrugged, and then replied in a bored tone. "I suppose there is."

Deciding that he best leave the matter alone, Kenji thought to switch the subject. "You didn't need to stay overnight."

"That won't get you anywhere, Kenji," Ilene shot Darien a dark look. "I already told him so too. Darien's stubborn, you see; won't listen to a thing you tell him."

"You guys should go home and freshen up," Darien answered Ilene's glare with a charming smile. "Don't worry, I'll watch over Serena."

"You heard him, honey," Kenji said briskly, "Let's go."

"Kenji!" Ilene looked appalled. "We can't leave. He has to leave first; we are Serena's parents!"

"Damn it, woman," Kenji sounded exasperated, "He said to go!"

"He slept out here all night; don't think I'm gonna let him stay for a while longer while we go home!"

Never had he seen his parents fight like this before; it was really quite amusing to Darien as he watched Serena's parent's do so. He did find it bothering though, that they were talking about him as though he weren't even there. The argument went on for a good five more minutes before Kenji ended up pulling his wife along with him down the hall. Over his shoulder he called out to Darien, "We'll be back in an hour. Can we get you anything to eat?"

After declining the offer, Darien waited until the couple disappeared around the corner before he got up and entered Serena's room.

He slipped into a chair beside her bed and took hold of her hand in his. Darien didn't know why he did it. It was like a reflex, like second nature for him to touch her. Her hands were so small, so soft. His weren't.

Breathing out a heavy sigh, he looked up over the bed at the window. The blinds were opened, and so golden sunlight spilt into the gloomy hospital room. Outside, a busy highway neighbored the hospital building, and beyond that rose skyscrapers. The warm rays flooding the room gently touched Serena's face, making her glow.

An overwhelming sense of guilt consumed him then as he looked down at her feminine features. "I'm sorry." His raspy whisper largely contrasted with the numbing silence of the room.

"Serena, I'm so sorry," Darien said again in a soft murmur. Slowly he rubbed the back of her hand soothingly across his cheek. "If you could only open your eyes and look at me, I would explain everything to you." Turning her hand over, Darien dipped his head down to kiss her palm tenderly.

"I never meant to hurt you. If I knew how you would have reacted, I would have never said what I did—damn it, what the hell am I saying?" Darien closed his eyes in frustration.

"What I did was wrong. I should have discussed my proposition with you before I had announced it publicly. I was stupid; I wasn't thinking. And…maybe you were right," Darien said vehemently. "Maybe you were right from the very beginning. I'm an arrogant selfish bastard. I wasn't thinking about you, I was only thinking about myself. And honestly, maybe I did use you as a cushion to break my fall of embarrassment caused by Mina. That's your problem. You're too damn soft and you're too damn naïve. You shouldn't have trusted me," His tone was gruff.

He was content just watching her sleep, calmed by the inhale and exhale of her breath. "Damn it, Serena, why did you have to run anyway? Why did you have to be so hard-headed? Why couldn't you just listen to me, have just a little bit of faith in me?" Darien realized the contradiction, and forced himself to remain calm. He felt like causing some bodily damage.

Darien stood then, feeling foolish for ranting on and on to a person who couldn't even hear him. Kami, it was hard for him to look at her like this. Electrodes were attached to her scalp so the Electroencephalography could measure her brainwaves. A serene expression was on her face despite all of the medical equipment attached to her, and Darien just couldn't stomach looking at her in this way. Was it just merely yesterday that she had laughed and talked to him, he found himself thinking? Yes, it was yesterday. Funny how today she was in intensive care at Tokyo hospital, funny how she had danced with him last night but now was incapable of any movement, funny how to him she was always the epitome of life but was now on the brink of death. Darien felt like screaming. He couldn't loose her now, damn it!

It seemed that was all he could say. Damn it!

No matter how hard he tried to walk away, to leave and just forget last night with a bottle of soju. He couldn't do it. Some inexplicable, compelling force kept him glue to his spot looking over the sleeping child-like woman. In that instant he couldn't help but realize that this could be the very end. Serena might not wake up ever again, and it was his entire fault. It was his recklessness and inability to feel compassion that drove her to her untimely end.

With each breath he took the pain in his chest became unbearable. The doctor's warning was finally hitting home on him. Some common disabilities resulting from brain injuries included problems with cognition, sensory processing, communication, and behavior or mental health. There was no way Serena would be able to come out of her coma completely normal if she ever did come out of it. To get right down to the bottom point, Darien knew that if Serena didn't die, hell, _he_ surely would.

Dropping her hand by her side, Darien swept back a strand of her silky blonde hair away from her face. "If there is any justice in the world, Serena," he whispered tenderly, "You'll come out of this coma and give me hell for all the pain I've caused you."

Even now, looking sickly and pale, Serena radiated beauty to him. Unable to help himself, Darien leaned forward until his lips captured hers in a gentle kiss. Her mouth was cold, but he didn't mind, so was his. It was only a feather-light kiss, in a scant second it was over. Then Darien gave Serena one last look before he walked out of the room.

He needed some air. The hospital scene was really driving him crazy. Darien decided he would step outside for just a while and clear his head, revise his plan, and work out a back up version. That was the way his mind work. Every decision he made had to be thought out and carefully analyzed before any procedure was carried out. That was the only way success was to be guaranteed. He was an exact man.

Last night proved his philosophy, and he would never act again on such half-baked plans. He had no patience for failure.

And that meant that he'd try anything, anything that his power and wealth would allow him, to wake Serena and help her pick up her life. He'd take her to a foreign hospital, where she could be treated by the world's best physicians and with the most advance medical technology; whatever it would take just to see her smile again.

Walking down the maze-like hallways, Darien finally found his way to the elevators. There were a few people, a small family from the looks of it, already waiting patiently for the elevator to arrive when Darien got there; they didn't pay him the least of attention. The two little boys, who looked to be no older that three and five, were too busy making faces at one another, and their parents' were too busy watching them. Darien was glad that they didn't seem to notice him.

While he waited, Darien reached into his pant pocket and pulled out his cell phone to check his inbox. He saw that he had already gotten thirteen missed calls, ten voice messages, and twenty text messages. Funny how he didn't recall hearing his phone ring or felt it vibrate. Scanning the names of those who tried to get in contact with him, Darien was slightly surprised by the number of unknown and private numbers. After listening to the voice messages, he relaxed. It was only Lita, Amy, and the Tsukino's.

The twenty text messages came mostly from Mina. They were pretty much all the same. Darien was highly amused by one in particular. It was from Mina; in it she threatened to spill the information on him and Serena to the press, who were camped outside of her family home, if he did not pick up his phone. Other than that, he got several texts from Rei telling him to come home and asking him questions about how Serena was doing.

When he was done going through all of his messages, Darien cleared his inbox and started to put his phone away.

"Oh my, gosh, I'm so sorry, sir!" The mother of the two rambunctious boys exclaimed as Darien's cell phone was sent flying out of his hands as one of the boys fell against him. "Boys! I told you to stop it!"

After she reprimanded her sons, the woman looked up again and smiled apologetically. "I'm so sorry," she repeated, "They can be a little…crazy sometimes." Looking down at her boys she scolded them. "How many times did I tell you guys to stop pushing each other? You guys need to behave; we're in a hospital!"

"And don't you look at your mother like that, Ginta. You're older than Youji, you shouldn't push him." Patting his younger son on the head, the man turned his attention to Darien, who was quietly observing the little scolding session.

"Here you go," the man said as he bent down, "You dropped this. I hope it isn't damaged." He held out Darien's cell phone to him.

"I doubt it—" Darien started to say, but was cut short.

"Look at his arm, Mommy!" Youji exclaimed. He gaped at Darien's bloody shirt.

Standing still, Darien watched, fascinated, as the little boy, who only came up to Darien's mid-thigh in height, walked forward to point a chubby little finger at Darien's brace. "He got an owie."

Darien smiled at the little boy, his first real smile since last night. He was completely won over by the boy's big curious eyes.

"Yes, Youji," the mother sighed. "He's got an owie, now get back over here. I'm so sorry," she added looking up at Darien.

"No need to apologize," Darien replied, and then he bent down to the boy's level and winked at him. "Wanna touch it?" He held out his brace to the child who nodded emphatically.

"You don't need to do that," Youji's father shook his head with dismay at his son. "He'll be taking that thing off your harm and dragging it into the car before you know it."

"That reminds me of someone." Darien didn't take his eyes off Youji when he made that comment.

"Who's that?" The woman wondered.

"Me," was all Darien said. He didn't feel like elaborating.

"Come look at it, Ginta!" Youji exclaimed, waving over his brother.

"What's so cool about it?" The older brother tried to sound uninterested, but was already running over to take a look at Darien's arm.

"Did you break it or something?" Ginta asked, frowning at the brace.

Darien looked up at the boy and shook his head. "No, I fractured it. Wanna see how it looks like?"

The two boys looked very excited at that suggestion. They nodded their heads emphatically. "How did you fra-fracture it?" Ginta struggled with the word.

Shrugging, Darien went to work taking off his brace. "I fell on it."

"How'd you fall on it?" Youji asked. He had his hand on Darien's shoulder, looking expectantly down at the older man's arm.

"How else could he have fallen on it, stupid?" Ginta rolled his eyes. "He tripped, duh!"

"Is it true?" Youji tipped his head back, a tasked that proved to be quite hard for him because he had to take a couple of steps back to balance him, to look Darien in the face. "Did you trip?"

That question was like a hit to the stomach for Darien. He looked down at the boy and shook his head. Really, Darien thought, feeling his pride slip a couple of notches, did he look like the type of man to trip and break his arm in the process? "I fractured it diving." Darien cringed at his answer too. That was a step higher, he sarcastically berated himself, it was really manly to fracture your arm _diving_.

"You mean diving in _water_?" Ginta scoffed and looked at Darien in a what-kind-of-a-man-are-you way.

"Of course he meant in the water," Youji retorted.

"You can't break your arm in the water," Ginta argued, making a face at his brother.

"Well _he_ did!" Youji pointed at a very mortified looking Darien.

"I didn't break my arm in the water," Darien explained to them in a very firm voice.

"Then were you playing football? You play goalie, huh? I knew it. My friend hurt his arm playing goalie. I kicked the ball really high, and he dived for it. He missed it of course, because my coach says I got a strong leg, and so I always shoot the goals on my team. But my friend, he landed on his arm and broke it. My friend sucks at being goalie too. Is that why you broke your arm? Because you sucked?"

By the time Ginta finished his rant, Darien's pride was torn to pieces. He never knew how vicious little kids could be.

Finally ridding himself of the brace, he held his arm out for the boys to look at. "No, I didn't break it playing goalie," his voice was gruff as he told them so.

"Then how'd you break it?" Ginta was exasperated. Darien didn't know why, either. If anyone should have been exasperated, it should be he. In a few minutes, the little boy had charged him with being a walking disaster, a poorly trained swimmer, and a terrible goalie. Could he get more brutal, Darien wondered?

"I pushed my friend out of the way of a car."

"Ew, what's that." Youji pointed to the threads sewn into Darien's flesh.

"Stitches," Darien replied, happy to distract them away from their previous topic.

"Cool, you got stitches!" Ginta looked thrilled. "And your shirt's all bloody; must have been a bad fall."

Darien nodded.

"Does it hurt?" Youji asked quietly, transfixed by the wound.

"No, it doesn't hurt," Darien answered with a reassuring smile.

"You must be tough," Ginta complimented.

Feeling his composure regaining, Darien chuckled. "I'm very tough."

"Yeah, cause you're a hero, huh?" Youji had the largest eyes, Darien had ever seen, and right now, they were putting him on the spot.

Darien was hardly feeling like a hero. He felt more like a dirty bastard, but he ruled against telling that to the kids. "No, I'm not a hero."

"Yeah you are," Ginta insisted, "You said that you dived to push your friend out of the way of a car. Sounds like a hero to me."

"Anyone would have done the same for a friend." Darien was starting to become uncomfortable at the turn of their conversation.

"I wouldn't," Ginta told him matter of factly.

Slipping his arm back into the brace, Darien looked up at the scrawny looking boy. Ginta was about a half-foot taller than Youji, but despite that fact, they could have been mistaken as twins. They both had dark bowl-cut styled hair, and intense large brown eyes. Their round faces were so similar, so appealing, if Serena could see them, she'd call them downright adorable, Darien thought. But she wasn't. He settled for cute. The two boys were as cute as the dimple in the side of their right cheek.

Sighing, Darien reached out to ruffle Ginta's hair. "Wouldn't you save your brother?"

Ginta frowned at his question. "Of course, he's my brother."

"Why would you save your brother then, if not your friend?" Darien's brows lifted as he addressed that matter.

Ginta's frown eased as thought about his answer. He smiled brightly when knew just what to say. "Because I love my brother. Do you love your friend?"

"I'm extremely fond of her," Darien nodded.

"Your friend is a girl?" Youji's mouth opened in surprise.

When Darien said yes, Ginta cringed. "Is she your girlfriend?" And when Darien told him she wasn't, Ginta frowned. "Then why'd you save her? She isn't your girlfriend, and you don't love her."

"It's not as simple as all that," Darien gave them a weak smile.

"That's what adults say when they don't want to talk about stuff," Ginta confided to his brother, but said it so loud even his parents, who were standing a few feet away heard.

His mother gasped, "Ginta!" She looked ready to scold him again.

"What?" Ginta shrugged innocently.

Darien thought she probably decided it would be a waste of her time lecturing her son. After giving Ginta a displeased look, she said to Darien, "What's with this elevator? It's been about five minutes now."

"Technical difficulties I presume; happens all the time," Darien said expertly.

"You're probably right," she agreed.

"Boys get over here," their father commanded.

Ginta did as their father said, but Youji shook his head in defiance. "I want to stay with…" he looked at Darien for help.

"Mamoru." He gave him his Japanese name, knowing it would be hard on the child to pronounce the English one.

"I want Mamoru to hold me," Youji insisted.

"He can't Youji." Youji's father, a medium height man who looked no older than thirty, let him see his displeasure.

"Why not?" Youji protested.

"He hurt his arm, remember?"

Youji looked crestfallen, but only for a moment. "He said it didn't hurt him!"

"Youji, listen to your father."

"Fine," Youji finally gave up the fight.

"It's okay, I really don't mind." Darien reassured both scowling parents. This was actually rather odd of Darien. He'd never conversed with children before, nor did the thought ever cross his mind. But for some reason, he found that of all the people who could talk to at this dire time, people who understood his situation, he chose two little kids whom he never even met before to speak with.

At that moment the elevator door opened. Darien couldn't believe what he saw inside. Neither could Youji.

"Are those really flower's, Mom?" Youji was eyeing the inside of the elevator cautiously.

"They sure are," she breathed. She had never seen such beautiful arrangements before. "I wonder who they're for."

A cart of flowers, filled to the point of overflowing was rolled out of the elevator. There were dozens of different bouquets, and at least a hundred different types of flowers ranging from carnations to roses to lilies.

Darien knew exactly who those were going to. After the news report last night, there was no doubt to him that Serena had gained hundreds of concerned citizens' sympathy. Well-wishers will be sending in gift baskets by the end of the week.

"Sorry about the long wait," the woman who was rolling the cart apologized. "We were trying to bring up all of the flowers at once, but they didn't fit. Then we had to take them all out again to fit me inside, and it took a while."

Darien let the family go inside first, and then he proceeded after them. He waited patiently while Ginta and Youji's father pressed the first floor button.

"Are you getting off there too?" The man asked politely, his finger still poised close to the buttons just in case Darien needed to get off at a different floor.

Before Darien could nod however, a familiar voice caught his attention. It was Serena's physician.

"Wataru, I need back up; gather up anyone who's free."

"Someone's coming, better hold the doors open longer," Ginta and Youji's mother warned.

"This patient is in critical condition. We've been monitoring her all night. You need to hurry. What? Yeah, the signal went off. Okay, listen carefully. I'm on the tenth floor, and the patient's in room 905. Got that?"

Darien watched as the doctor walked passed the elevator doors. His head was pounding from what he had just overheard. Room 905….905…was that Serena's room number? No, it wasn't. It couldn't be, he told himself. His mind was overreacting.

Darien watched as the elevator doors began to close.

905…905…damn it, why did that number sound so familiar?

"Fuck!" Darien's crude exclamation wrung surprised expressions from everyone in the elevator.

His hand barely managed to squeeze in between the tiny crack of the closing doors. When they opened again, Darien bounded from the elevator with god-like speed.

Behind him, two tiny boys shared a conspiratorial smile.

"Mommy?" They both were tugging on their mother's shirt sleeves.

"Yes?"

"Mamoru said a very, very bad word."

And then they watched as the cool stranger they had just met, who they could hear roaring like an angry lion now, disappeared behind a corner just as the elevator doors closed again.

When Darien caught up with the doctor, he was still bellowing. "What happened?" He demanded.

Surprised by Darien's abrupt appearance and ferocious attitude, the physician quickened his pace. "The alarm went off warning us that she's flat lined. Her brain has just died—don't! You can't go in. Only those of us who are medically trained to handle the—" The doctor gave up.

Darien had already rounded the corner and was sprinting as fast as his legs could carry him. Along the way he passed the woman who was rolling Serena's cart of flowers, almost knocking a flower arrangement over, and when he reached Serena's room, he nearly ripped the door right off its hinges as he rushed to her side.

What he saw made his heart stop.

That is a very painful feeling too. His heart had been hammering away at such an impossible speed, and then to have it all of a sudden come to a jolting stop—Darien thought he had died.

"Oh, thank goodness it's just you," Serena said with great relief.

Darien couldn't believe it. Her sapphire blue eyes were opened and staring directly at him; eyes he thought he'd never be able to see again.

Her voice was so low, so weak, Darien had to stop his rapid breathing to hear it. "I took off those things they put on my head, but then that machine over there started to beep. I'm gonna be in trouble aren't I?" She truly looked scared.

Serena fell asleep before she could hear his answer.

Darien reacted with a flicker of irritation after the unpleasant moments of fear he had endured, followed by relief, and then to reluctant amusement.

He couldn't help the silly grin that touched his lips.

* * *

Jack Carson arrived at _J-Entertainment_ at exactly seven o'clock that morning. After issuing an order to his assistant to inform Mitch to report to his office as soon as he stepped foot onto the premises, Jack slammed the door to his room and didn't step a foot out again. Mitch waltzed into Jack's office a half hour later to find the reporter busily talking into his telephone. When Jack was finished harassing the person on the other side of the receiver, he turned his attention onto Mitch. 

"It's been one hell of a night, let me tell you that," Jack sounded exhausted. Shaking his head, he leaned back in his chair to better ease the tension out of his shoulders.

"Can't say I disagree with you there," Mitch smiled, and then proceeded to sit in the chair directly in front of Jack's wooden desk.

Though Jack and Mitch were considered the "new pens" in the company, their high reputations of being the very best in the United States won them the favor of the big boss, thus Jack's very own office, furnished with his own desk, chairs, couch, computer, file cabinets and shelves. Mitch and Jack were a team. Every project Jack was assigned to, Mitch followed, providing his technical skills, usually involving a camera, and his good judgment on indecisive issues. In his field of work, Mitch didn't need an office. Most of the time anyway, he spent lounging around in Jack's.

"Did you develop the pictures?"

Mitch smiled at Jack's question. Ever since they had left the party last night, Jack had been reminding him nonstop to develop the pictures. Heck, the man had called him at five that morning to make sure he didn't forget to bring them! "Of course I developed them."

"Give them to me."

"I never said I brought them, now did I?" Mitch was purposely trying to irritate Jack, who he knew was probably dreaming about this moment last night. The man never thought of anything but work. Sometimes it's scary, but that's just the way Jack was.

The expression on Jack's face showed that he was not amused. "Hand them over."

Putting his hands up in a soothing gesture, Mitch made a face at his friend. "Easy, don't get your boxers up in a bunch. Here." Reaching down into his coat pocket, Mitch pulled out a white envelope and threw it onto the wooden desk.

Opening the package, Jack withdrew the photos held inside. He scanned the first photo quickly and then carelessly threw it aside. He used the same procedure for every photo that came up next. When he was finished looking at each one, Jack frowned.

"You're looking for her, aren't you?" Mitch said knowingly, his eyes glowing.

"Give me her picture," Jack demanded. He looked furious.

Mitch's brows rose skeptically, "Don't you think you're going a little overboard? If you ask me, I think you're obsessed. What do you find so interesting about Ms. Tsukino, anyway?"

"Besides that she's drop-dead gorgeous?" Jack finally cracked a smile.

"Yeah," Mitch rolled his eyes.

"I honestly don't know."

It wasn't so much as what he said, but how he said it that persuaded Mitch. "Your instincts are kicking in again, aren't they? What do you feel about her?"

"Ms. Tsukino?"

"Yeah," Mitch nodded, "Who else could I have been talking about?"

"I really can't tell you unless you give me her photo! Hurry up, Mitch!"

Mitch deliberately too his time reaching into his other pocket to withdraw two pictures just to annoy his partner. It wasn't often that he could rile Jack, the man being so composed and all, and so whenever he had the chance, he took it. Plus he really didn't like the way Jack was growling at him.

Extending a hand for the pictures Mitch offered, Jack grabbed air. "I'm really loosing my patience, Tamada," Jack's voice was calm, but his gaze was ice.

Having had pulled the snapshot's away just before Jack could reach them, Mitch smirked. "Sorry," he apologized, though he really didn't mean it, "I couldn't help doing that. And don't call me by my last name; whenever you say it, it gives me the creeps."

Finally with the pictures in his hands, Jack calmed. He smirked at his friend, "I'll call you whatever I want."

Mitch jumped onto the couch against the wall. Crossing his legs, he settled comfortable over the cushions, and then laced his hands behind his head. He cast a fleeting look at Jack who was studying the photos of Ms. Tsukino with an intense frown. Mitch was going to reply to Jack's barb with a remark of his own, but decided against it. Jack only called him by his last name when he was angry with him, and so Mitch had an aversion to hearing it ever since.

Thinking of the peculiarity of his partner's behavior that morning, Mitch decided to ask him just what his problem was. "What's the deal with wanting to check out her photo? You were assigned Aino Minako's party, not Ms. Tsukino, a person who nobody apparently knows. Jack, are you listening to me? You're acting very strange today."

"I'll tell you what's up just as soon as you shut up," Jack replied wryly. He was giving Mitch an exasperated look. "I swear you talk too much."

"Ha ha, you're so funny," Mitch responded tonelessly. "So? What's the deal with Tsukino?"

Jack's eyes gleamed. "My instincts are acting up again. You know what I mean, don't you?"

Mitch nodded. "Of course I know. Who _doesn't_ know? It's very uncanny the way your instincts are always right; that's how you've gotten so far in this business."

"Yeah, well, right now my instincts are telling me there's something very strange about Tsukino. I can't put my finger on it, but…does she look familiar to you in any way?"

"Familiar?" Mitch made a face. "I've never seen her before if that's what you mean."

"No, no," Jack sighed heavily. "Does she look like, well, anybody you've seen or know?"

"Jack, the girl lives in Japan. We've lived in the United States most of our lives, I'm quite positive I've never seen anyone like her before."

"I know that," Jack did his best from yelling. "It's just…I get this feeling that I've seen her before."

"I know, I know, your instincts, right?" Mitch said wearily.

"Yeah, my instincts. They're telling me, there's something not quite right about her."

"Like what? She's not as beautiful inside as she is on the outside? Does she strike you as a crazy ax-murderer?"

"I really don't appreciate your sarcasm, here, Mitch."

"I can't help it, sometimes your instincts just creep me out," Mitch confessed. Sobering, he sat up on the couch.

As he did so, the office door opened.

"I'm sorry; I hope I'm not interrupting something important." It was only Jack's assistant, Akiko.

A hint of annoyance flashed across Jack's face, but he squelched it before Akiko could see it. "No, you haven't interrupted anything important. Is there something I can help you with?"

Akiko shook her head no, and then proceeded into the office, closing the door behind her. "Sir you asked me to put together a file on Tsukino Serena for you."

Jack brightened at his assistant's mention of the request he had given her. "Oh that's right. If you're done just put the file on my desk."

The girl shook her head of curls. "No, actually I'm not finish with it."

He was finding himself sighing a lot this morning, Darien thought as he did just that. "Then what is it that you want?" Damn it, he was getting mad, he really didn't care if he was sounding rude anymore.

"I—" his assistant began but then hesitated, as though pausing to collect her thoughts. "Given the job you've assigned me, um, I believe it's within my duty to tell you everything concerning Ms. Tsukino, including leads having to do with the driver of the semi who—"

"My god, what are you waiting for? Hurry, tell us!" Jack had switched to English in his outburst. His secretary could only stare at him blankly.

Mitch laughed and took it upon himself to translate for his partner. When he told the confused looking girl to quickly explain to them the information she had for them, she had the grace to blush.

"I thought everyone knew about it," Akiko said to the ground. Her voice was filled with embarrassment. "I'm sorry, you've just moved here, and I'm already assuming you've got a TV and channels for you to watch the news, that is, of course, if you did watch TV."

Jack switched back to his amateur Japanese again. "Yes actually, I do have a TV and I do use it. Are you telling me that whatever you have to tell me was public news and I haven't heard it?" He was yelling. But not at his assistant. Oh no, he wouldn't do that. It was his own fault for not even checking for any updates about the driver of the semi in the Tsukino accident before he left the house this morning. He had been too excited to get to his office so he could start on his investigation to even bother. That'll teach him, Jack thought bitterly.

"Oh is that all you wanted to say?" Mitch looked disappointed. "Well, you can go ahead and carry on putting together a file of Tsukino for Mr. Carson. I'll inform him of the current situation of the Tsukino accident." That's what they had nicknamed Ms. Tsukino's near hit by the truck last night; the Tsukino accident.

Relief swept across Akiko's face. Apparently she found her superior very intimidating company. "All right then," she even sounded _cheerier_, "if you need me, I'll be at my desk."

She practically sprinted to the door.

Mitch chuckled. "She's not use to working with a big American white-boy obviously," he joked lightly.

"I resent that."

"What? That your co-workers become uneasy in your presence?" Mitch queried.

"No," Jack said menacingly. "I resent being called a white-boy."

"But you are a—"

"Shut up," Jack snapped. "I'm becoming impatient. When will someone tell me what's going on?"

Mitch gave him a sardonic grin. "Isn't that _your_ job? You're the reporter here, not me."

"Tamada, I'll kick you in the—"

"Carson, if you'd only shut up I'd be able to tell you what you want to know." Mitch mimicked the way Jack had all too coolly quieted him earlier.

Jack growled.

"Okay, here's how it is. You remember how no one at the scene of the accident remembered seeing that truck drive up the street before it was almost too late and was going to run into—"

"Yeah," Jack interrupted rudely. "Get on with it."

"It turns out whoever was driving that thing was indeed speeding." Mitch replied simply.

"How'd they figure that?" Jack sat straight in his chair, he was thoroughly intrigued.

"The truck was stolen."

"No shit," Jack spat unbelievably.

"Yeah," Mitch nodded, "Turns out a trucking company called in to the Tokyo Police Department late that night reporting a missing truck."

"So whoever was driving that thing was fleeing from the scene of the crime," Jack pieced together.

"That's what you'd think," Mitch purposely chose his words carefully to make Jack anxious.

"So what are you trying to say?"

"The place where the truck was stolen was on the edge of town, Jack," Mitch informed him, "The driver was miles away already from the scene of the crime, what was the point of speeding? Hell, who the fuck would steal such a big automobile and drive it back into the city, where it could be so easily spotted?"

Mitch paused, allowing what he had just said to sink in to Jack. "Jack, the Tsukino accident wasn't an accident. Someone was trying to get rid of her. Permanently."

"Was the driver found?" Jack asked.

Mitch shook his head. "No, the truck was found abandoned on the side of a freeway about two hours away from town. The police couldn't find a single fingerprint or damning evidence as to who drove that thing."

"Mitch, that's it!" Jack jumped to his feet. His face bright with excitement.

One look at his partner, and Mitch knew he must have been crazy. "Look, Jack, are you feeling all right today?"

"No, Mitch, I know who she looks like, I know who she reminds me of!"

Blinking, completely taken aback at the switch of topics, Mitch could only utter one word. "Who?"

"Serenity St. James."

* * *

**End Notes:** First of all, I'd like to thank all of you who have supported me through these past couple of months. This chapter, no, this story wouldn't be here if it weren't for your wonderful e-mails and reviews that have inspired and given me the will to continue writing. And so, I dedicate this chapter to you all. I could cry just thinking about how happy all your e-mails have made me. And I'm not simply talking about those who write to me and say , "I LOVE your story!" (Honestly those somtimes get me annoyed, but if that's your prefference go ahead...knock yourself out), I'm talking about your feelings that you've poured out to me. They've truly touched me. 

Let me move on to the questions I've been asked about for some time now.

Okay, first thing I want to address is my rating for this story. So I've finally confessed, well, not my age exactly but where I am currently in life...To all of you out there, that's VERY young. I know you're all probably wondering, what is a 12-14 year old doing writing a rated M story? Well, honestly, I can say right now that I haven't had any experienced with (you know those three letters...need I fill in the blanks?)...heck, I haven't even been kissed yet! But what I can say is that I'm...very well read, and so I have a sense of how sexual tension and um...yeah...is suppose to be like. I really hope you guys aren't questioning my moralities.

Second, someone asked me about Darien and school. Um...I think the question was why did I make it seem as though a twenty-three year old going to school for his master's was impressive? Hm...I can't tell you why...I just thought that it was impressive for him to be twenty-three and already in his last months of grad-school.

Oh darns...what were the other questions? Hm...I'll get back to you guys on that...


	13. Chapter 13

**AN:** It's been a long time everyone! How are you all? Well, yesterday was my birthday, and I wanted to give you guys all a gift, but unfortunately, I couldn't finish this chapter in time, so I posted it today. I really hope you guys enjoy it.

Please do not skip this beginning part, read through the whole chapter! And then review, please.

* * *

It had been a very important assignment. It was an assignment that called for little skill or intelligence, but was important nonetheless. The careful planning had already been squared away, the tiny details already seen to by others aiding in the operation, all he had to do was drive the truck. That was it. Plain and simple.

But the task somehow spiraled out of control, and the assignment was left uncompleted.

The boss wasn't going to forgive him. Oh no, he most surely won't. Cameron knew he would be severely deprecated and punished, and his stomach churned in anticipation. The hour ahead of him was going to be very unpleasant.

Cameron didn't dare try to postpone the confrontation. He knew that word of his failure already reached the base. Hiding couldn't help him even if he decided to do it. They'd find him, and drag him back to headquarters, as they've done to the men before him. He was too smart to make their same mistakes.

Audibly he gulped as the elevator doors opened. Wiping away the perspiration that beaded his forehead, he stepped out onto the top floor of SJ Corp. From across the empty room a blonde looked up at him over her computer in a lone office. She beckoned to him with a wave of her hand, as she registered his face, and he walked forward.

"What have you gotten yourself into, Cameron?" She shook her head with dismay.

Clasping her outstretched hand in a firm grasp, Cameron replied sheepishly, "A shit load of trouble and you know it, Nancy."

A sly smile stretched her red lips. "Everyone knows it. You messed up, Cameron. Big time."

With an irritated sigh, Cameron nervously rubbed the back of his neck. "Is the boss in a good mood?"

In reply, the young blonde only laughed. "He's in as foul a mood as ever. You should have seen him when he found out you failed, Cameron. St. James looked ready to draw blood. Your blood, in fact," she told him with a matter-of-fact nod. She didn't even try to conceal her amusement.

"I'll keep that in mind," he bit out dryly. "Is he in his office today?"

Nancy's eyes widened, "You're planning to see him _now_?" She swiveled around in her computer chair to give him her full attention.

Somewhat taken aback by her look of surprise, Cameron answered, "Yeah, I thought he was expecting me."

Leaning forward, Nancy crossed her nylon clad legs and pulled at her knee-high black skirt. "Oh yeah, he's expecting you. It's just I didn't think you'd be man enough to face him after your disaster."

Cameron's jaw clenched. "Tell him I'm here," he hissed, and then he turned and headed out the door of her office.

"Hey Cameron," Nancy's teasing voice called to him.

Turning around, Cameron gave her a hard stare. With her head poking out of the door of her office, Nancy looked like a bubbly teenager, and with her silly grin she could very well be mistaken for one. At twenty-three, the young college graduate had snatched the position of the CEO's secretary. And Cameron did not doubt that her good-looks helped a lot in getting her the job. Nancy Baker was not the most qualified for the post, and most certainly not the most experienced in the field. St. James was notorious for his women, so it didn't really come as a surprise to Cameron at all. Right now, however, he seriously wanted to throttle the woman for her impertinence.

"What?" Cameron barked chillingly.

"Don't bite off my head," Nancy retorted and she frowned, "I was merely gonna warn you."

"About what?"

A slow sly smile touched her face, sending shivers down his spine, "He's explosive today. I'm telling you, you're the flame that's gonna set him off. I'd be cautious if I were you."

"Come in," a voice snarled from behind the door. The voice was weather-worn, tattered from the harsh, demanding, and stressful years that it had journeyed through. It was rough and wild, a result of his high-pressure job, the same way the sharp waters have carved away at the earth; morphing solid rock into deep rugged valleys, his prestigious position had worn him thin.

The owner of that voice was not so different in appearance. Sitting behind a large wooden desk, a fierce looking man furrowed thick white brows at the intruder. Around the corner of his eyes, sun-baked tan skin crinkled into cavernous lines he had lost count of long ago, as his inquiring gaze turned malicious. His lips were pressed tight into a thin line, and his stare was unwavering.

"Sit." The same chilling voice barked.

Cameron was quick to comply.

"I want you to explain in as little words as possible how the hell you were able to mess up the assignment, boy. I don't have time for you. I've got an appointment in fifteen minutes." Lacing his fingers together on the desk, the elder man's eyes pinched in as he glared at his employee.

With his eyes glued onto the nameplate, read Ronald P St. James in all gold caps, Cameron timidly began recounting the incident.

"It wasn't my fault, sir—"

"Oh and I suppose you're going to blame it on the girl now? She was walking too fast for you, huh?" His boss taunted, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"No, sir, she wasn't walking too fast. Someone pushed her out of the way, Mr. St. James," Cameron tried to explain, his voice shook uncontrollably.

"Someone pushed her out of the way!" St. James roared, flying to his feet. "I believe you were told to be cautious. How in the hell did someone detect you were going to hit her?"

Flinching at the fire that spewed from his superior's mouth, Cameron answered, "I don't know."

His dumbfounded reply was infuriating to St. James. Clenching his hands into tight fists, St. James contemplated slamming them as hard as he could into the boy's face. It wouldn't do him any good, he admitted to himself. The damage was already done; the girl was not dead, but at least the boy was smart enough not to get caught. Hell, it'd make him feel a lot better though.

And he did just that.

Cameron fell backward in his chair at the force of the fist that slammed into his jaw. He lay on the floor for a second not moving, not breathing. He didn't see that coming at all. After regaining his breath, and taking in what had just happened. Cameron scrambled back onto his feet and rearranged the chair. He rubbed his aching jaw. But damned that hurt, he thought, for an old guy St. James sure did pack a punch.

"How old are you boy?"

"Twenty-five," Cameron replied, somewhat taken aback.

St. James smiled. "Really? You're twenty-five? That old?"

"I'll be turning twenty-six next month, sir," Cameron thought to add, for it seemed that the boss was getting all worked up about his age.

"Oh that's wonderful," St. James exclaimed dryly, "I've got a twenty-six year old _man_ working for me, who can not do the simple task of driving a truck! You're not an inexperienced intern, according to your file, you've been working for me for six years, damn it, and you couldn't do a simple task?"

"It wasn't just driving a truck sir," Cameron muttered under his breath; his head was bowed.

"What was that?" St. James growled like an angry lion about to feast on his prey.

"It was murder, sir." Cameron said louder this time. He cautioned a fleeting glance at his boss, who was now seething with rage.

"It was an easy murder too! Drive the truck, that's all I asked. And you couldn't do it!"

"I made a mistake, sir."

"Do I know it." St. James replied arrogantly. "I should have sent the fresh young eighteen year old intern. Aren't teenagers more prone to drive recklessly, they say?"

Cameron flushed, embarrassed with himself. "I underestimated Chiba. But maybe if I had had someone gun him down—"

St. James attention was caught by that. "Chiba? Did you say Chiba?"

Cameron nodded. "Mamoru Chiba was the one who pushed your niece out of the way sir."

His boss' face turned suddenly white.

"Get out!" St. James shouted with such ferocity that, Cameron, scared out of his wits, nearly jumped out of his skin as he ran for the door.

"Sir, I don't understand!"

"I said get out! And do not make contact with anyone in SJ Corp, or I swear I'll have your head!"

"Does this mean I'm fired, sir?"

"We'll give you a call when it's safe, but you can consider it a suspension."

"I'm still not quite sure I know what you're talking about, Mr. St. James. I mean, why am I being suspended? I can try again if you'll let me. Give me one more chance, sir, and I swear I'll get Tsukino for you."

"Damn it boy, did you not hear what I said? I want you out of here until further notice."

"But why, sir?" Cameron was desperate.

"Don't you know the Chiba's, you silly boy? They're among the richest in the world. Not only that but they own one of the worlds best international investigative agencies. They'll be knocking at your door in no time, and so you are to have no contact with me or anyone else in SJ Corp, do you hear me?" St. James ordered.

"We did a clean job though," Cameron began to protest.

"_You_ did a clean _half-job_, but we don't know about the rest of the people in the operation, whoever was hired in Japan to help you doesn't know about SJ Corps. But they do know you, and if they're caught, you better count on them ratting you out."

Cameron went dead silent. A dark foreboding chill consumed him. He didn't think about any of that. His heart slammed painfully repeatedly into his chest.

"How many were there?"

Looking up, Cameron's brows drew together in confusion. "What?"

"How many men did you have helping you?" St. James demanded with urgency.

"One helped to break into the trucking company and steal the truck; and three more were located at the party to keep an eye on her and to report to me when she left. We had thought she was taking a vehicle, but due to some unexpected events she fled on foot, but that made things considerably easier—or it would have been if she hadn't been pushed out of the way. That's only four men, sir."

"You better pray to God, they haven't messed up, Cameron. For now I want all of their names. We'll silence them."

Cameron gave him the names.

"Now get out! I don't want to see your face or hear of you until you're summoned."

With great relief, Cameron fled from his office and was happy to comply. He did not stop once except for the elevators until he was out of the building and headed to his car.

Picking up his Armani blazer hung on the arm of his chair; St. James slipped his hands through the arms and adjusted it around his shoulders. Grabbing a folder from his desk, he prepared to leave for his meeting. Before he left however, he picked up the receiver of his phone, and dialed a number.

"Johnson? It's me, St. James. Get rid of Cameron. He's become a dangerous player in the operation. Do it quick and for god sakes do not, I repeat, do not mess up."

And with those final warning words he left for his ten o'clock appointment.

* * *

It was her last day in the hospital. And Serena prayed to the heavens for that. She spent two full weeks in the intensive care unit. When her health gradually improved Serena was moved into her own private room. For the first month of Serena's stay in the hospital, everything was a blur. Literally. Images were a mix of bright and dull colors, large and small shapes. Sounds were reduced to a low buzzing in her ears. Her fingers didn't feel right, her legs didn't feel right. Dry wet saliva clogged her throat, the taste filled her mouth. Her mind didn't seem to be picking up the messages the rest of her body was sending up the grapevine. 

Toward the start of the second month however, odd shapes were toned down into familiar shadows, and blobs of colors separated. The first voices she was able to hear again were her mother's and father's. They were the first faces she saw too. But she couldn't remember much. Words were lost to her, exchanged conversations meaningless. The people came and went. Days came and went. And she quickly recovered.

Standing at the side of her hospital bed, Serena let her gaze drop appreciatively over all of the beautiful flowers that flooded the room. There were small arrangements and big arrangements. Single roses and bouquets of roses covered table tops. Sunflowers followed the sun from the windows and gorgeous rainbows of orchids and lilies and daisies crowded every corner of the tiny lifeless room. She watched the sunlight filter through the window striking upon all the colors and felt as though she were in her own lovely reprieve, a fantasy away from reality.

There were cards too of course. Get well cards from all of her fans and well-wishers. Serena had awoken one day to this and had thought she had died and gone to heaven. It was either that or she had been placed into the wrong hospital room, which she greatly doubted, because her dirty bloody dress from the night of the accident was in a clear plastic bag at the side of her bed.

This was all too weird for Serena. Overnight she had become a celebrity, her parents had explained to her. Reporters were crowding the lobby downstairs waiting to talk to her, to take a picture of her. Her mother had told her this as she unfolded the front of a newspaper to show her a picture of her being held in Darien's arms at the side of a street. And smugly, her mother had quipped, "They all want to know who the beautiful lady is who somehow has won the heart of one of the world's top bachelor."

In reply Serena had denied any "winning" of Darien's heart and without reading the article, crumpled it and threw it into the trash bin, which was sitting out in the hall because with all her flowers, the room simply wasn't big enough to accommodate anything else.

Sadly, her mother was right however. It seemed that most of Japan was only concerned about her relationship with "Mamoru Chiba". For some reason, unknown to Serena, they had gotten it into their heads that she and Chiba were in love and were engaged. And that was all too funny.

There was no such thing as love between her and Darien, and so they couldn't possibly be on the verge of marriage. In fact, Serena thought, a bit miffed, he hadn't even shown his face once while she had been in the hospital. She had seen everyone from her doctors to the lowliest reporters who had managed to sneak up to her room past the security, but she had yet to see one sign of the all-mighty heir of Chiba Industries.

Mina and the girls visited her at least once a day. Malcolm and the guys visited her at least every other day. Her parents were at her side almost every hour of every day. But damn it, where the hell was Darien? Where was he? She wondered, and why wasn't he here? What could he possibly be doing that was so much more important than visiting her at least once, _once_—that was all she was asking—in the hospital?

She swore to herself she would give him hell when she saw him; that is _if_ she saw him—seeing that he couldn't even manage to show his face to her. Or send flowers! Yes, Serena nodded to herself. She looked at all of the stunning flowers. The way she heard it from the gang, Darien had felt terribly responsible for her accident. She reasoned however, that if so many people, whom she did not know and probably would never come to know could send her flowers and wonderful get-well-soon cards, why couldn't he? Why couldn't Darien have at least sent her some roses to show how guilty he felt—that he cared?

Serena hated this feeling he caused in her. He made her feel vulnerable and weak and terribly, terribly stupid. She felt so stupid waiting so anxiously to see if the next person who'd walk through the door was Darien, she felt so stupid rushing to every single flower arrangement with a card attached to it to see if it'd be signed from Darien, only to find that a Yogi Morimoto had sent them. And frankly she was ready to give up on him.

In a bout of frustration yesterday, she had decided to stop waiting for him to come see her. She wasn't a foolish little girl. Why she had subjected herself to such disappointment and such false hope for so long was beyond her. She had come to face the facts that Darien was not going to be coming. Therefore, she needn't wait on bated breath every time someone came knocking on the door any longer. It wasn't going to be Darien, but why should that matter to her? Why should she get all worked up over his no-show? It doesn't matter; she chanted to herself, he doesn't matter.

Serena sighed heavily, giving the room a final once over. She spotted the dozens of boxes of chocolates stacked on the nightstand and went to sort them out. Some boxes were empty due to the fact that some of her guests had helped themselves to her delicious snacks. Taking only the unopened boxes, she stuffed them into her duffle bag on the bed and rummaged through it for a final check up. Her parents should be here anytime now to pick her up.

As though on cue someone knocked on her door.

"Come in," Serena didn't hesitate to answer. With her back still towards the door, Serena counted the last of her seven pairs of socks and began to zip up her duffle bag.

"Hey dad, if it isn't too much of a hassle for you, do you mind taking my stuff to the car first? I'll need to talk with the staff here at the hospital to help distribute my flowers to the other sick guests here. I have a feeling they'll need them more than I will."

"Sure thing sweetheart, but I hope you'll at least keep my roses."

Serena's back went rigidly straight.

Darien was touched by the sweet and thoughtful gesture of Serena wanting to give away her flowers to the sick patients. That was an utterly kind thing to do, and his heart, strangely, swelled with pride as he watched her. It never struck him before how she was always such a gentle and caring woman. All of that combined with her refined air of grace and elegance made her so damned attractive to him. He fought back the urge to walk up behind her and slide his hands around her waist and draw her against him.

And his eyes glowed with amusement as he watched her slowly turn around towards him, with a small fire kindling in her eyes. Her face was flushed, and though her mouth was slightly hanging ajar the uncommon candor radiating from her face made him smile. His first real smile in ages.

"I'm sorry, do I know you?"

And then his smile was gone.

With an exasperated sigh Darien walked further into the room and nodded, "Yes."

"Are you sure? Because you see, I'm positive I've never seen you in my life." Serena pretended with bored civility.

"Well I can assure you, you have." Darien replied patiently, willing to take anything she threw at him.

Folding her arms across her chest, Serena regarded him with a sassy and rude stare. "Is that so?" She challenged.

Infuriatingly to Serena, Darien took a step closer, forcing her to tilt her head all the way back to stare him in the eyes, and then nodded. He didn't bother to say a word.

"What is it that you want?" She demanded haughtily, not breaking their gaze.

"I want to see you," he answered huskily, pleading with his eyes, begging her in his voice, "I need to talk to you."

"I'm not sure there's anything we need to talk about, and besides, I don't know you," she reminded him, still trying to hold onto her aloof persona but failing. Her anger was flaring.

"We have to talk about us, Serena," Darien said emphatically. His soul-searing eyes searched hers, startling her, making her break their connection.

"There is no 'us' Darien," Serena growled like an angry lioness. "What is wrong with the world and you, thinking that there is something between you and me? There's nothing between us and so there's nothing to discuss!"

Darien took her outburst as a good sign. "So I guess that means that you must know who I am then? My face starting to look familiar now?" He teased, his eyes sparkling.

Flustered, Serena shook her head furiously. "No—I mean—yes, um, no!"

"I'm sorry, Serena."

So totally unexpected was his apology, Serena gaped at him. "What?" She uttered breathlessly.

"I said I'm sorry," Darien's voice wreaked with sincerity, and Serena couldn't continue with her icy barrier.

"Why are you apologizing to me?" She asked, her brows furrowed deeply, so extremely confused with his turn-about gentleness.

"I'm apologizing for everything I've subjected you to these last few months. It's my fault for your accident, if I'd have been more careful, I could have protected your head; it's also my fault for the publicity, though I can't say that I invited their attention; and it's my fault for not having once visited you while you're in the hospital, which I assume is why you're so damned furious with me right now."

Touched that he actually did care about her, Serena smiled; a tender warm smile. She was overwhelmed by the strange feelings he was evoking inside her. It was a natural reaction when she placed a soothing hand on his firm jaw. "Darien, the reporters are beyond your control, I don't hold you accountable for that. Secondly, yes, I was mad at you for not visiting me while I was in the hospital, but I guess since you're here now, and I'm still in the hospital, I'll forgive you. Anyways, I can't believe you could even be blaming yourself for my injury, although my memory of that night still hasn't come back to me, from what I hear, if it weren't for you, I'd be dead."

"What?"

"Don't try to be coy, you are a hero. I guess I was just mad because you didn't even give me the chance to thank you when I had gotten better. I really wanted to see you and express my gratitude." She said humbly, bowing her head a little in answer to his shocked expression. Serena withdrew her hand, feeling suddenly silly for being so intimate.

"I wasn't asking about that—did you just say that you lost your memory of the night of the accident?" He asked again. He stared intently at her as he grabbed her shoulders.

"Yeah," Serena looked up strangely at him, "I can remember for some reason the whole day leading up to Mina's party, but I can't remember anything during the evening. Why?" She asked curiously.

Darien didn't know how or why Serena could have possibly forgotten that it was actually his fault that she had fled from Mina's party like a wounded white dove but he was grateful to the heavens up above. That meant that she didn't know about their supposed engagement or the embarrassment he subjected her to in the media. He knew it wasn't right for him to feel relieved; but for her to agree to his plan he would need her to trust him completely. And honestly, the memory of his brash behavior that night those months ago, would never inspire trust from her.

He decided it was time to let his plan start rolling. He would tell her the truth afterwards, when she had agreed to his plan. The whole nation thought they were going to get married; it's time she found out too. And he wasn't taking no for an answer.

Thinking to break it gently to her, Darien reached out and grasped both of her hands. "Serena, that night…you and I…"

Feeling guilty, Darien hesitated for a moment. The look in her trusting gaze was shattering to him. "You see, Serena, you and I are now engaged." It didn't come out exactly like that however. He didn't get to finish.

A knock on the door interrupted Darien. He sighed with frustration and broke away from Serena.

"Hold on, Darien. Tell me later." She said to him with a sweet smile.

In grim silence, Darien made his way through the flowers to the window. The timing couldn't have been worst, he thought bitterly. He had everything figured out—he had spent the two months while she was in the hospital doing nothing else. How would he get her to agree to a marriage in name only? At first he wasn't willing to go through with it. He could care less what the media wrote about him. But then it hit him that Serena would be shattered by the scandal, and he vowed to himself he wouldn't let that happen.

But even so he was still hesitant about proposing a marriage in appearance only to Serena. She was a woman made for loving; that much Darien knew. She was kind and unbelievably sweet, she was thoughtful and smart. Hell, she also had a face and body that would drive any man crazy. What Serena needed was someone to cherish and love her, to hold her when she was down and to support her throughout life. He could never do that for her; he could never be that man. And he felt like a total bastard to ask her to marry him.

"Come in," Serena called.

Two men dressed in black uniforms stepped into the room.

Surprised, Serena watched the two police men warily. "Hello officers, what can I do for you?" She remembered her manners and bowed her head at them. The unexpected visit from her unexpected guests made her voice tremble when she spoke.

Though Serena was definitely not at ease with the police officers, Darien didn't miss a step. His head swiveled round sharply as his gaze lowered and focused on the two men. He stayed that way for a while, not moving, not breathing; just sizing up the police men with his cool calculating stare. It was unnerving. And for Serena, caught in the middle, she didn't know who looked the more intimidating. Darien, with his glacial glare, or the two uniformed men, who both came armed with their guns safely tucked away on their holsters.

She decided Darien looked the fiercest, and she almost laughed at that.

There was a sparkle in Serena's eyes and Darien wondered for a second what could be the cause of it. He finally turned fully to greet the officers; still acting aloof, and still never taking his gaze off of the laughter flickering on Serena's face. He didn't find the predicament funny at all. But he sure as hell was going to find out after this confrontation was over.

"Good afternoon, officers. Is there anything we can help you with?"

Taking Darien's extended hand into theirs, the police men seemed to relax. They were taking his polite gesture to be a peace offer, and they quickly forgot that they had been freezing in his stare just a couple of moments ago.

"Hello Mr. Chiba, Ms. Tsukino. I am Detective Lee from the Tokyo Police Department, and this his my partner Officer Hiroshi. Do you mind if I ask you a few questions Ms. Tsukino?" The detective asked with the utmost courtesy.

Looking to Darien for help, Serena panicked just a little. She was thankful Darien was there. He looked so strong and so unperturbed with two men from the Tokyo Police force. She smiled when he nodded at her. She didn't miss the look in his eyes as he answered her. He was telling her—no—he was _demanding_ that she remain strong. And Serena decided she would.

"No, sir, I don't mind at all." Serena replied with new found strength.

"Alone?" The detective cast a fleeting, fearful, glance up at Darien, and then back again to Serena.

"I don't leave unless Serena wants me to." Darien stood his ground. He looked to Serena to see if she wanted him to leave, but she didn't look his way. Instead, she kept her gaze focused on the police officers as she replied.

"Mr. Chiba will remain with me."

Darien almost smiled at her tone of voice. She was being downright bossy. He knew what she was trying to do; she was giving him an order of her own. And Darien found that highly laughable.

The detective didn't look too pleased that Darien would remain in the room. All of Japan knew he was emotionally attached to the girl, and so he'd most likely take on the position of protector, and when he did, the whole interview would be bungled up. But then again, he thought with hope, they could interview Chiba and Tsukino booth at once. Kill two birds with one stone. He liked that idea.

"In that case," Detective Lee asked, a bit too cheerfully for Darien's like, "do you mind if we ask you a few questions too, Mr. Chiba?"

Harsh inscrutable eyes turned to the lawman. A second passed, but in the space of a second an eternity elapsed, as the electrically charge tension pulsing in the room became more explosive.

Darien nodded curtly.

"All right then," Detective Lee smiled, "Shall we begin, then?"

"Ms. Tsukino, do you know anyone who'd want you dead?"

"What kind of a question is that?" Darien's tone was sharp.

The detective sighed, he knew this would happen. Chiba most certainly was not going to be cooperative, and because he cared for Tsukino, he wouldn't want to have her upset.

"You do know that we have an attempted murder case on our hands, right?" Officer Hiroshi questioned. He had pulled out a pencil and notepad to take notes.

"I did not even know there was a 'case'," Darien bit out dryly.

Detective Lee's eyebrows rose in surprise. "It's the talk of the town."

"Actually, the talk of the town is Darien and my relationship," Serena corrected; she spoke with disdain.

To prove her point, Serena flipped over the cover of a magazine that was lying on the side of her bed. On the front was a picture of Darien and her at Mina's party, and in enormous font was printed "A Cinderella Story".

"And I really hate that line," Serena added bitterly.

Darien finally smiled at that. Most women would love to have a Cinderella story; to have the man of their dreams marry them and to live happily ever after as a queen. But he should have known, not Serena. No, she _hated_ that comparison. He really did love her refreshingly honest outbursts.

"So society is messed up, where's the breaking news in that? I think we all know we can not trust the media to relay anything important to the world." Detective Lee defended passionately.

"I believe you had just said that—" Serena began but was cut off.

"That's all beside the point though. We're here to ask you a few questions, Ms. Tsukino, and the sooner we do it the sooner we'll be on our way."

Serena could not believe the arrogance of this man, it was _he_ who had first digress, and now he had the audacity to speak to her in that condescending tone? She decided she did not like police officers. Well, at least not Detective Lee and his snooty little partner.

"Let us begin again, Ms. Tsukino," Detective Lee said with an exaggerated sigh. "Who wants you dead?"

Darien didn't like that question. He did not like it one bit. Serena was such a kind and warm person; she probably wasn't taking well to the idea at all. How could anyone want her dead?

Serena wasn't fazed at all. She could think of a lot of people who'd want her dead, and honestly, she didn't believe any one of them was capable of doing it. She shrugged carelessly, "Do you really want to know?" She asked blandly, and Darien was surprised by how well she was taking it.

"We're asking so we can help you Ms. Tsukino. Any information would be nice." The lawmen looked at her as though she were crazy.

Sighing Serena continued nonchalantly, "Well," she began, as though trying to remember something that she had long ago forgotten, "I'd say on the top of the list would be Aiko Reizei, she's the real wicked bitch of the west if you get my drift, second would be my ex-boss (he didn't like me much, and after I nearly burned down his restaurant, I think he'd like to kill me), and then there's that gang that I insulted a while back ago, (several of them thought they could mess with me, but I kicked their asses; they'd really be capable of attempted murder), and then there's the whole student body at school who would like nothing better than to have me gone—do you really want _all_ of their names?—and then there was that one time when I ran over the tail of my neighbor's cat with my bike, (yeah, she really wanted to draw my blood for that, I don't know her name though, she's a bit of a recluse), also, my university professor doesn't seem to like me much either, but I don't really think that he's very capable of murder, if you know what I mean."

Serena said all of this without even stopping to take a breath. Unfortunately, the police officers were not enjoying her enthusiasm as much as Darien, who was grinning ear to ear.

Darien was completely taken aback by the long list Serena had produced. Admittedly he had thought the girl was nothing but an angel but now he wondered what in the hell had she done to make all of those people hate her. But then again, Darien thought wryly, how could they not? Serena was a beautiful young woman, but she was not your ordinary one. From growing up on the streets, Serena learned to be tough. She also obtained a sarcastic streak that was at times infuriating, and her unapproachable persona didn't make her a very likeable person. She was a strange person; Serena could attract many people to her with her vivacity, but if she chose to, could ward them all off with her high-and-mighty act.

Which was funny, Darien noted, because Serena was always so against the upper-class for their snobbishness.

"Okay, hold it right there, Ms. Tsukino," Detective Lee frowned, "Do you know anyone who'd _really_ want you dead?"

Not too happy with his sarcastic attitude, Serena replied with hauteur, "Does are _all_ possible leads, and if you were a competent police officer, you would do well to check them all. Next question."

The detective's lips twitched, a hint of his irritation. "You're aware that whoever was driving that truck was trying to run you over, right? Your life is in jeopardy."

"She said next question. And if you're trying to scare Ms. Tsukino, sir, I will be speaking to the police chief," Darien said silently; but the warning was there, he wasn't going to put up with any terror tactics the lawmen were going to do.

"All right," Detective Lee relented warily, holding up his hands in a conciliatory gesture. "Ms. Tsukino, did you happen to glimpse who was driving the truck that night?"

Serena shook her head. "No, I didn't see him."

"I want you to think back, I know this could be difficult for you, but if you try hard enough, maybe you can describe him for us," Detective Lee sounded very hopeful.

Shaking her head again, Serena replied exasperatedly, "No, you don't understand. I lost my memory of that night."

"What?" The detective didn't sound too happy about that.

"I said," Serena paused to give Darien a disgruntled look, because he was chuckling in the back—she really did not find the officer's reaction funny—and then turned back around, "that I can't remember anything that took place that evening."

"How can you not remember?" Detective Lee demanded to know.

"If you did not know," Darien replied coolly, "she suffered a blow to the head."

Frustrated that the interview was not going his way, the detective growled. "Damn it."

"Yeah, I'd have to agree with you on that," Serena nodded.

"Fine then, let's move on to Mr. Chiba," Detective Lee said to his partner, who flipped to a new page on his notepad and began scribbling something across the top.

"Mr. Chiba, how about you? Did you happen to see the driver of the truck?"

"No," the finality of his voice didn't encourage the detective to press into the subject.

"Okay, how about enemies; do you know anyone who'd want to hurt you?"

"Is that really relevant?" Serena cut in suspiciously.

"They think that whoever was trying to kill you, could possibly be trying to send a message to me. Everyone knows about our relationship, Serena, they could possibly want to hurt me by killing you too." Darien answered her, and his tone considerably softened.

"Oh," Serena said lamely, taken aback by the extreme measures people can take to simply hurt someone.

"Well, Mr. Chiba? Any names?" The detective demanded irritably.

"Let me see," Darien became cold and harsh again, "I'm the heir to over a billion dollars. I've lived a privileged life and no doubt will be doing so for a very, very long time. Not only that, but Japan has portrayed me as a reckless playboy who surrounds himself only in luxury. How much resentment do you think I inspire?"

"A hell of a lot," Detective Lee answered with little amusement.

"Exactly," Darien smiled now, "And you want me to give you a few names who I think would want to hurt me? That's not possible. Now, is there anything else you want to know?"

"There really isn't a point in continuing. I see where this interview is going, and it's going down the drain. We'll leave, but I'll give you my card just in case there's anything you two would like to tell me to speed up the investigation."

Darien took his business card and slipped it into his pocket. He waited until the detective left, and then turned to Officer Hiroshi who was putting his notepad and pencil neatly away into his pocket.

"Can I speak with you alone, sir?" Darien asked, but it sounded much more like a command.

Surprised by the confrontation, Officer Hiroshi, studied the younger man for a moment, and then nodded silently.

Darien then turned to Serena, who was looking up at him questioningly. He smiled to reassure her that everything was all right. "We're just going to step outside for a moment, I'll be back."

Not knowing what to say, or what was right to say at the moment, Serena only nodded, but her frown didn't ease up.

As soon as Darien closed the door behind him he became the cold and ruthless businessman that Tokyo magazines have called him.

"I want to know what the police have on this investigation," Darien demanded.

"I'm afraid that's confidential," Officer Hiroshi replied nervously.

"Actually I think it's my right, along with Ms. Tsukino's to know what the situation is so that the right precautions can be made," Darien said levelly.

The policeman looked at Darien long and hard. Then he sighed in defeat. "Okay, fine."

"I'm listening." Darien crossed his arm over his chest and regarded the policeman in composed silence.

"I don't think I have to recap the incident, do I? You know what happened."

Darien didn't agree or disagree; he just watched the lawman fidget fretfully.

"So, uh, we get a call at the station that there has been a hit-and-run, well almost anyway. Detective and I head out there, and by then you and Ms. Tsukino have already been picked up by the ambulance. We didn't see anything of course, but the people there, man, the people there were demanding blood. The truck driver's blood, in fact. According to them, a truck had appeared out of nowhere and was speeding deliberately toward Ms. Tsukino. They said if it weren't for you, surely Ms. Tsukino would have died. You two seem to have quite a fan club, you know. They were all so loyal to you both."

Officer Hiroshi paused to take a breath, and then continued, "So we search for the truck. We got a couple of descriptions form the crowd, and we begin looking. The search wasn't hard. There was no chase; we simply found it parked on the side of a mountain path. The mystery is, the driver was gone, and there was no evidence at all left behind about who could possibly have been behind that wheel. We let Crime Scene take over the area there, and then the detective and I went to the trucking company where the truck had been stolen. Again, no one knows how the truck had been stolen. There were no signs of a break in, which lead us to believe it was probably an inside job. Someone had a key to get into the facility, and someone knew the code to unlock the gate enclosing the trucks."

"Next morning, we talked to Crime Scene; they said that the truck had been hotwired. The thing is why would someone, who had just stolen a big rig, want to drive into the busiest part of the city where he'd be in plane sight to be caught? The answer to that is easy. And according to everyone else at the scene, the driver of the truck apparently wanted to run Ms. Tsukino over. Someone wants her dead, Mr. Chiba. And whoever is behind this is good. We don't have any clue as to who it is. And that's why the detective and I came today; to see if we could get some possible leads."

Darien was silent throughout the whole account. He wasn't surprised with what the police had summed up. It wasn't much at all. Darien knew all of that already, and more.

Right after Serena had woken up after her coma, he notified the investigative agency that Chiba Industries owned and immediately had them start on the case. He was disappointed the police couldn't supply him with any new information.

"My advice to you, Mr. Chiba," Officer Hiroshi cautioned before he began walking away, "Keep the ones you love close."

Serena nearly jumped when Darien came back into the room. "You scared me," she told him with a disgruntled frown.

"You're easy to scare," Darien replied.

"So?" Serena asked, quirking up one eyebrow, "Why did you want to talk to Officer Hiroshi?"

Darien flashed her his famous smile, "You sure are a nosy little one."

She gave him her don't-mess-with-me glare. "So what if I am?" She challenged.

"I don't like nosy people," Darien told her.

He looked downright smug, and Serena was beginning to be annoyed.

"Well I don't like you either," Serena retaliated.

"Sure you like me," Darien replied arrogantly.

"What makes you say that?" Serena demanded, not liking his conceded statement at all. "In fact, I don't think I even like you right now."

Darien decided he sure did like riling her. He could see the fires burning in her eyes and he felt strangely happy with her reaction. Taking a step closer to her, Darien continued to smile.

"Are you sure about that?"

Serena backed away from Darien as he advanced towards her. "Positive," she replied dryly.

Still Darien took a step towards her, "I think you're lying," he whispered softly. But he said it in such a sensual tone that she felt as if he had caressed her. She shivered deliciously in response.

"Don't you dare take a step close to me; the room is small enough as it is. I don't like to feel claustrophobic," She warned.

"Well you better starting liking it," Darien retorted as he continued his advance.

He was backing her into a corner and Serena wasn't feeling at all in control of her emotions at that moment. She decided he looked too sexy for his own good. Damn his sex appeal. It was making her jittery; her heart was pounding all too fast, and if he continued to look at her in that intimate way she was sure she'd break out in cold sweat.

Serena scowled at him. "To think I thought you were considerate!" She said in outrage. "Damn it Darien, I know what you're doing! You're making me digress. Ha, well I've caught on to you. You better tell me what you wanted to talk to the—" At that moment she took another step back and her foot landed on top a pot of flowers. It gave way under her foot, and Serena, cursing gravity, went flying backwards.

Darien swept her up into his embrace before she hit the floor. In a state of shock Serena stood rigidly straight in Darien's arms for a long moment. All she could hear was the beating of her heart. All she could feel was the electrifying sensation that pulsed through her from Darien's hard body pressed up against her. She cursed herself, knowing where her thoughts were leading.

And then she felt it. Darien's shoulders were shaking with mirth. Serena blushed with embarrassment, thankful that he couldn't see her face since it was pressed up against his chest. He was laughing at her! That truth made her flush even more.

"You're such a klutz," He whispered into her hair, squeezing her tighter to him.

"Haven't you ever been told that girls don't find it very flattering being told they're klutzes?" Serena managed to say without a hint of her mortification showing. "And can you stop squeezing me; it's hard enough for me to breath with my head up against your chest."

Darien didn't answer her. Instead, he ran his hand through her long silky hair, letting its softness slide through his fingers.

Serena didn't know if he was aware of what he was doing, but she definitely was. Why was he acting like this? She wondered. It made her feel terribly vulnerable and oddly, she liked it. She liked this intimacy between them.

"You can let go of me now," Serena sighed.

"I don't think you want me to," Darien smiled down at her.

"Like hell I don't," Serena rolled her eyes and pushed against him.

Deciding that he had stalled long enough, Darien knew it was time to tell her. He wasn't scared; not one bit. He knew she would choose the right thing to do; it was in his best interest and hers. But still he hesitated.

"Serena, there's something I've got to tell you." Pushing her an arms length away so that he could look into her eyes, Darien took a deep breath and braced himself for her violent reaction.

"Yes?" Serena asked, but her eyes show more than one question.

"You and I are engaged."

There, he said it.

"What?" Serena blinked, the confusion spreading across her face.

"You and I are engaged to marry," Darien replied calmly, not letting her see the worry on his face. He didn't know how she was taking to the news.

"No," Serena shook her head, "No we're not. Darien, I know what you're doing. Just because the newspapers and magazines have all printed stories about you and I marrying, doesn't mean you have to marry me. I'm okay, really."

"Unfortunately, I'm speaking the truth, Serena. You and I—"

"Oh my, god! You mean those stories are true then? You announced our engagement at Mina's party?" She exclaimed accusatorily. "And I can't even remember!"

"Serena, calm down," Darien cupped her face with his hands. Soothingly, he smoothed his thumbs across her soft cheeks. "Try to understand—"

"Understand!" She shouted angrily, "You want me to try and understand? Damn it Darien, for all I know, you didn't even propose to—"

Her words were muffled as Darien caught her open mouth with his lips. Stunned into immobility, Serena could only let him work his magic over her. And then before she knew it, he had her responding. Her arms slowly slid up his chest, feeling their way around his shoulders. And she heard him groan achingly in response; her barriers all melting away.

But just as soon as she pressed closer to him, he pushed her away.

Darien felt arrogantly pleased by the look upon Serena's face. She looked bemused, and thoroughly kissed. Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes were half-closed with what seemed to be desire, and her chest heaved up and down as she tried to catcher her breath. He decided he liked seeing her this way.

He realized too that she had affected him in just the same way. That was why he had pushed her away. There was something about her that lit him on fire, and once he was ablaze, there was no putting him out.

"Will you marry me, Serena?"

* * *

**End Notes:** Well what do you think? I know it wasn't as long as my last chapters, but I hope you guys enjoyed it. I really had fun writing this chapter. Please review, and tell me what you think. 


	14. Chapter 14

**AU:** Hello everyone. I'm back. I know it's been a while but I've finally finished this chapter. I'v decided that I'm going to write shorter chapters and post more frequently, in this way I'll keep my readers' interested. Or at least, I hope to. Soccer season is finally over. Yippee, but now state testing is on it's way. Yikes. It's hard to be a student and I know you all know exactly what I'm talking about. In fact, today I have to type up my research paper which is due tomorrow and I have not yet started because I was too busy writing this chapter, but it's okay, really. My best work comes from the most pressure and limited amount of time.

**About This Chapter:** I thought I'd show a little bit more of Serena and Darien's relationship, and introduce a little bit of the mystery in this story. Advice: Read through the entire story, don't skip through the beginning, it's imperative to understand the rest of the story. I know it may seem a little weird of me to say that, but I'm one of those people who like to skip through a lot of stuff that doesn't have to do with the hero and the heroine, and so I advise everyone else who is like me to take their time reading this chapter.

I hope you all enjoy it. Feel free to send me a review, telling me what you liked and disliked. Or if you have any questions, go ahead and send them to me, and I'll do my best to answer. Also, if there are questions concerning the St. James family, please just wait until my next chapters, because I'll unravel a lot more of the mystery then.

Thank you, and enjoy. Gaosheng

* * *

"Jack, its Sloan," said Mitch. He handed the telephone receiver over to the blonde sitting behind the desk. Mitch raised an inquisitive brow at Jack as he did so. He watched with mild curiosity at the meaningful expression Jack gave him as he reached over the desk to put the call on speaker, and set down the receiver.

"Listen to this," Jack ordered; a sly smile curving his lips.

They were sitting in Jack's office. It wasn't a very big room, but it was his most importantly. The only pieces of furniture in the room were a shelf, a filing cabinet, a computer, a desk, and a chair, which Jack sat upon behind the desk. Mitch was perched on the side of the desk. He had been standing there for the past hour, discussing plans for the theme of the next magazine when the phone rang.

"Sloan, did you get the pictures of Tsukino I sent you?" Jack asked; he leant back in his chair and smiled. He was feeling mighty confident about something, Mitch observed, and his brows furrowed deeper.

"Sure did, Jack. I looked into the lead you gave me too. That's some interesting stuff—and when I say interesting, I mean interesting in a weird, twisted, sick way," a voice replied from the machine.

"So?" Jack inquired, shooting Mitch another look that he could not understand.

Folding his hands across his chest and leaning one hip against the desk, Mitch said, "Look Jack, it's been months since the Tsukino accident. Let it go; I don't think it's wise to—" Jack didn't let him finish.

"I'm not asking you to think, Mitch. Listen, please, just listen to this theory I have. Come on man, don't give me that look. I'm serious this time, I think I've just dug up some pretty dirty crap from the grave. Usagi Tsukino's grave."

"You mean _I_ dug up the grave," Sloan's voice crackled from the machine again. "And hi Mitch, I didn't know you were there. How are you doing in Japan?"

Mitch took his exasperated gaze from Jack and looked down at the speaker. "Good, good," he answered. "It was tough adjusting at first, but everything's become routinely now."

The voice laughed, "Well you must be feeling just at home there in Japan."

"No, actually, turns out the Japanese don't take kindly to half-breeds." Jack thought he was being funny.

Sloan laughed.

Mitch didn't.

"That's too bad; I always thought Mitch would perform better in his natural surroundings." Sloan's voice was as smooth as melted butter.

Mitch didn't like it.

"I am not a half-breed, Jack, you idiot. And I'd much rather prefer that you don't talk about me as though I'm some kind of panda bear that has been released back into the wilds of China. You two are really getting on my nerves."

"You're so white-washed, Mitch, you're nearly a half-breed. You don't have to protest," Jack defended teasingly. He was enjoying his friend's irritation.

"You think you're so funny; I swear Jack, I wouldn't be talking if I were you."

"Yeah?" Jack challenged. He sat straight up in his chair.

"I'm of Japanese descent, but you're full American trying to pass off as Japanese."

"Burn," Sloan's voice sang with humor, "Do you need some ice for that burn Jack? Or did Mitch already call the fire department?"

"That was _so_ teenage, Sloan," Jack deprecated.

Sloan only laughed, and through the phone it sounded like she had a severe case of bronchitis and was hacking out her lungs.

"Can we get back to the point here?" Mitch requested testily.

"Yeah, go ahead, Sloan, continue from where you left off." Jack returned to his reclined position on his chair. He pretended to be uninterested as he started to check his email.

In tiny fits of laughter, Sloan began her report, "So I looked through some files we kept on Serenity St. James like you told me to, and found her picture. You were right, Jack. Usagi Tsukino is the exact image of St. James."

"That doesn't mean anything," Mitch protested. "So what if she's a look alike, that sure is some hard evidence you have there," he bit out sarcastically.

"Let her finish," Jack reasoned. His gaze never left his computer screen.

"Sheesh, Mitch, take it easy. All we have here is a theory; you hear that? I said a theory; nothing more, nothing less." Sloan's frown was visible through her tone.

"After that," she continued in her professional voice, "I went on to find a picture of Serena St. James. Her face is a good match but that's where it stops, Jack."

Jack noticeably stiffened, in his chair. Mitch noticed, and realized that he didn't take well to that news at all. Had he been hoping to frame Tsukino as the missing and the already-proclaimed-dead heiress Serena St. James? That was a preposterous idea, Mitch thought. Besides the fact that Tsukino looked like a dead wringer for Serenity St. James, he really didn't know how Jack could possibly relate the two cases together.

"Are you sure?" Jack insisted.

"Well…not really…" her uncertain reply seemed to give Jack some relief, he smiled again.

"What's the matter, Sloan?" He asked inquisitively.

"You see, Jack," Sloan began, "Serena has brown hair. At the age of eight, which was the last time anybody last saw her, she had natural brown wavy hair."

Jack nearly hollered with joy. "That's it? That's you're concern? Aw, Sloan, I thought you're smarter than that. Tsukino is Japanese, well supposedly, and let me tell you, blonde hair is not natural to Asians—at least I'm pretty sure so. So, you see, Tsukino could have easily dyed her hair."

There was a long silence after his outburst. Sloan didn't say anything for a while, and Jack and Mitch sat in relative peace staring at one another as they waited for her. She sighed a weary sigh. At the age of eighteen Sloan had joined their writing agency back in the States as one of their top intern researchers. Sloan worked like a fiend, and solved every mystery thrown her way. An overachiever and workaholic, currently at twenty-five, Sloan's ways have never changed. But now her worn spirit was exposed. They listened as she cleared her throat. Her perplexity evident.

"Well, she must have a pretty good hair stylist, Jack; because that's the best hair coloring job I've ever seen."

"Come on, you can't believe it's real." Jack replied.

"Sorry, Jack," Sloan said grimly, "I checked into it."

"And how'd you do that?" Jack's voice became eerily calm.

"I looked her up on Wikipedia."

"What?" Jack exclaimed. "You expect an online source like that to be reliable?"

Sloan became sheepish, "Heh heh," she chuckled, "Um, well she's become pretty famous since her accident, you have to admit that."

"What the hell does that have to do with anything?" Jack shouted in frustration.

"Jeez, calm down, Jack. Just hear me out first, all right?" Sloan placated.

"Okay, so I checked her out on Wikipedia, and got some general information on her. They talked a little about her background, mostly speculation, nothing too detailed, just where she went to school, where she works, where she's lived, and all that junk. They talked about her parents, but the bulk of the article was all gossip about her relationship to that billionaire, Chiba."

"Getting on with the point," Sloan moved on, "On Wiki there were tons of related links on Tsukino—oh my gosh to think one can get so popular by getting ran over by a car. Anyways, as I continued on with my search through every single link, I noticed that they all had the general statistics on Tsukino. Her height varied, her weight varied, her blood type varied, but do you know what the one thing that remained constant on each page was? Her hair color. Every single page stated that her hair was naturally blond. What do you say to that, Jack?"

"I say you must be loosing your touch, Sloan. How can you believe all that crap, come on, _fan sites_? When did fan sites become reliable sources to you?"

"Did I also mention I was able to get into contact with Lita Kino?"

At that, Jack paled. His plans were going to smoke and he didn't like the feeling of being wrong at all. He couldn't be wrong. He never had been before. From the beginning of his career, he had let his instincts be the driver of his every action, and he had always been successful. And right now, his instincts were telling him that his hunch about the St. James family was correct.

"How did you get into contact with Lita, Sloan? It's been damn near impossible for me to get a hold of anyone within Tsukino's social circle here in Japan, how did you do it all the way from the U.S?" He sounded irritable.

"I'm not the top researcher in America for no reason, Jack."

"Yeah," Jack remarked dryly, "And that's why you work for a Magazine?"

"Exactly," Sloan replied cheerfully, "My superior intellect is simply too good to use for all of that government crap. That's why I went into a field focused on the complex and mysterious ways of the human race. Nothing's more challenging and interesting than tracking and cracking down our celebrities to expose to the public."

"You belong in a loony-bin, you know that?" Mitch laughed.

"Which is another reason why I'm still here taking all of Smith's crap, for a measly salary of 65,000 a year," she became bitter.

"Word of advice, Sloan," Jack quipped, leaning forward to talk directly into the speaker, "Stick to it. I know that old kook's going to retire soon. And then it's promotion time for you."

Sloan didn't seem to believe a word he said, she replied dryly, "Yeah, sure. And is that why you and Mitch decided to relocate yourselves half way around the world?"

Jack broke into a broad grin. "Well it seems you've got me all figured out."

"What are you talking about Jack? I've got you read like an open book. Gosh, see what you've done? You've got me digressing again." Talking over a grumble from Jack, who objected deeply to her claim, she explained, "Females know how to work with females. It's as simple as that."

The smugness in her tone was not missed by Jack and Mitch; they could only shake their heads disapprovingly.

"So I took the newspaper clipping you sent to me, sent an email to the given contact for the article, used a little of my female charms, and there you have it, I get Lita Kino's number."

"What?"

"Okay, okay, so it took a lot of persuading—all right it was persuasion and a little bit of the twisted truth—that finally made the representative at _Tokyo Times_ agree to give me Ms. Kino's number; however, he warned me, and seemed pretty sure too, that Ms. Kino would not pick up or return any of my calls." She sighed, "Boy was he wrong," she nearly barked with glee, "Lita Kino picked up on my first call—probably was a little puzzled by a call from the United States."

"Well, what did she say?" Jack asked eagerly.

"She asked me who I was, and I told her I was an American author writing a book on the richest families in the world, and I wanted to ask her about the Chiba family. Lucky for me, taking Japanese as a second language actually was a good idea. I thought the only time it would come in use was when I watched anime."

"She wouldn't have fallen for that," Mitch remarked.

"Yeah, you're right; she almost hung up on me."

"So what happened?"

"I begged her not to hang up of course, you big dummy, how else would I have stopped her from hanging up? Oh—and maybe also, because I told her I was working for the Chiba's Investigative Agency and I was ordered by Mamoru Chiba himself to question her, for more information on Tsukino's case."

"You're such a liar, you know that? I swear, where the hell do you get all that junk?" Jack scoffed with discussed, though he really admired her.

"It's a gift," She answered.

"So what did you ask?"

"I asked her if Tsukino's hair was naturally blond, and she said that for as long as she'd known Tsukino, her hair had always been blond."

"Well, shit," Jack cursed. "There went all my theories."

"Not quite, actually," Sloan drawled. "I did say that I found out some pretty interesting stuff on the St. James family, didn't I?"

"Yeah?" Jack wondered.

"Well it turns out your theories may possibly be the solutions in solving both the St. James and Tsukino investigations."

"What else did Kino say?" Jack questioned.

"Huh? What about her? I asked her only one question, and as soon as she answered I hung up. That's all I wanted to know from her anyway."

Jack's palm slammed on the desk, showing his irritation. He sighed loudly, and then grumbled cantankerously, "You had Lita Kino on the phone, ready to answer your every question on Tsukino, but you hung up as soon as you found out Tsukino's hair color?" With his head in his palms, Jack looked as though he was in need of a Tylenol.

"Yep," came back Sloan's cheery reply.

"Why?" Jack whined; grabbing a fist full of his hair and then pulling on them.

"Because all the information she would be able to supply would be immaterial to what you instructed me to look into," was Sloan's matter of fact answer.

"You didn't feel compelled to ask her anything else…you know…out of _human_ curiosity?"

"You don't have to be so God damned rude, Jack. My guilty conscience got to me, all right? I was already questioning her under false pretenses, my mind simply would not let me continue the interrogation; I couldn't do that to another member of the female race. It's just not acceptable under our feminine code of conduct."

"Your guilty conscience?" Jack asked near-savage.

"Hey! Don't take that tone with me Mr. Hot-Shot, who had to move all the way to Japan just so that you could broaden your experience in—you know what? This is pointless. All I have to say, Jack, is that I have to live with my conscience. Not you."

"All right, whatever. I apologize. Are you happy now?" Jack did not sound at all sympathetic although.

"No, but that'd have to do," Sloan snapped from the other line.

"Are you two done acting like children, now? 'Cause I'd like to hear what Sloan found that's so damning in the Tsukino and St. James cases." Mitch interrupted impatiently.

He had been waiting quietly, listening to the two quibbling. He was bored, and over all highly irritated by the constant digression from the topic. Honestly, he thought that if they changed the subject one more time, he'd simply end the phone call and take the rest of the damned day off. He threatened the two with exactly that, and Sloan began her account once more, with a promise from Jack not to open his mouth until she was finished.

"Here's what the police records have on Serena St. James. She went missing the night of Ronald St. James birthday party at the mansion, which was the third of May about ten years ago. The Police launched one of the largest search parties for her in history, yet she was never found and so the search for Serena St. James was discontinued. She was then pronounced dead on her would-be-eighteenth birthday, which just passed last June, in fact—no evidence, no body, no nothing."

"Jack, you don't think Tsukino could be…you know…" Mitch didn't seem to stomach the idea that well.

"That's exactly what I think, Mitch," Jack answered grimly.

"All of your evidence is so far-fetched; it's ludicrous!"

"Actually, no, it isn't, Mitch," Sloan's voice crackled from the speaker. "It makes perfect sense to me. According to all of the research I've done on Usagi Tsukino, she's a nonentity. Except for a couple of misdemeanors with the law in her youth, I can't see how she can be the object of cold blooded murder. There has to be a significant reason for someone to want her dead, and if she is the missing heiress then everything falls into perfect place."

"Still, what evidence do we have, besides the fact that Tsukino is a dead ringer for Serenity St. James, to support your claim?" Mitch asked in aggravation.

"Well…," Sloan sighed, "I also did background checks on all the St. James family members. There's something fishy about that bunch, despite that they're one of the most revered families in the U.S they just give me shivers. I'm not done with Ronald St. James yet, but I'm telling you Mitch, I think this family is hiding something."

* * *

"No, absolutely not." Serena shook her head adamantly. Her mind began to clear from the incredible sensations Darien made her feel. Her body still tingled from his kiss, but she made sure that in her voice she did not show him how violent her reaction was to his single touch. No, he would never know how much he affected her.

Darien smiled roguishly, not at all put off by her answer. He could hear the tremor in her voice, and see the uncertainty in her eyes. Despite how hard Serena tried to hide her emotions, she simply couldn't—not from him anyways. Every emotion that she happened to be feeling always flashed across her face as transparent as water in a glass cup. And Darien liked that trait about her. Her eyes were the windows into her soul, and though he did not think it were very wise, her windows were always open; her eyes animated with all she felt.

A broad grin flashed across his face. And Serena thought he looked like a child with an ingenious idea being concocted in his head. She decided she didn't like his reaction one bit.

"Thank you for proposing to me again, but I think there must have been something wrong with me that night. I could not have said yes to your proposal of marriage, and I could not have crossed the street without looking both ways unless there was something seriously wrong with my head. So, I'm declining your proposal Darien."

She thought she was being forward and matter-of-fact with her answer.

Darien thought she was being down-right cute.

"What if you're making the biggest mistake of your life?" Darien queried teasingly, lifting one eyebrow.

Serena frowned at his smug tone, and replied sassily, "Well, I've lived most of my life without you, so I can continue on doing so."

"Do you really think you can just walk out of here without wondering why you agreed to marry me that night?" He was lying through his teeth, but he was an awesome actor.

Serena surprised him with her answer. "I know exactly why," she told him, and there was an unbending certainty in her eyes that scared Darien for a moment. And then she did something that Darien hardly expected from her.

She threw herself at him.

He was irresistible. She simply could not help herself. It was apparent to her that this was why she had agreed to marry him, their sexual attraction was electrifying, and Darien, with all of his oozing charisma and virility, was definitely a catch she would not let by—especially if she had been influenced by alcohol.

Catching her around the waist, Darien groaned at the contact of her mouth against his. She was uninhibited in her kiss this time. He felt her hands glide up his arms and caress him around the shoulders before she laced them through the tiny hairs at the nape of his neck. And all he could do was squeeze her around the waist to let her know how much he liked her aggression.

He fought for control, as he heard her sighs of pleasure. He told himself to let her explore the kiss for herself, to slow down the pace just a little, but as she became restless with his lack of response, she began to nibble on his lower lip, and from there, Darien let go of his restraint. She was driving him crazy.

Serena let out a surprised sigh as Darien grabbed her around the back of her thighs and hauled her up around his waist. Before she knew it, he had her pinned to the wall, with his mouth in total possession of hers. She was lost in oblivion, only aware of the dreamy state that Darien was once again drowning her in. And she felt so damned good, and maybe, just a little bit vulnerable.

From the back of her mind, she thought she heard Darien growl as she kissed him back with all of the passion he was giving her, and then the kiss turned hot and open-mouthed, and she had to pull on his hair to hold herself down from soaring to heaven. She didn't know how he could make her feel so…so powerful, but she didn't care. She loved the sensations he made her feel.

His tongue teased her lips for a good while, and then it slid sensuously into her mouth. At his initial thrust she gasped, and then she drew his tongue in to let him explore her sweet mouth. Growing bolder, she touched her tongue to his and was rewarded with an aching groan from Darien, as he pressed her further into the wall, bringing her in closer contact with his hard straining body. In and out his tongue move, letting the ritual as old as time take over.

He was lost. Lost in the pleasure she was giving him, her sighs of delight, and the incredible feeling of her soft body pressed up against his. His mouth then was everywhere, on her jaw, behind her ear, and then leaving a steamy wet trail down her neck. As damned as it sounded, the kiss was magical. And deciding that he could take no longer of her roaming hands, sliding up and down his back, he pulled away, knowing if he didn't stop he'd probably take her right there on her hospital bed. The absurdity of the idea!

They were both panting when Darien lifted his head away; both heard someone groan from the loss of contact, but neither knew which one did it or if it was them both. He had to admit that was the most erotic kiss he'd ever experience—even more sexually charged than thirty minutes of foreplay, and damn it, he had thought he was always disciplined in bed. But now, with Serena's legs wrapped tightly around his waist and her heaving bosom pressed against his chest, he couldn't help but think about how good it would be like to have her naked in bed with him. It would be a mind-blowing experience that was for sure.

He caught his breath and found his composure before her, and Serena could feel the fool penetration of his intense stare as she continued to struggle to gain some kind of semblance of her control. There was an arrogant look in his entire expression as he peered down at her, and his sexy sensual lips were spread wide as he grinned with satisfaction. And the way his eyes were being so intimate and warm made her remember all of the things he just did to her, making her squirm a little uncomfortably.

She looked as though she had just participated in a thoroughly arousing make out session—which she had, but knowing that it was he who she had sprung onto, made him feel strangely pleased. Her eyes were still hazy with passion, and her lips were pink and swollen from his rough attack. Still having problems with catching her breath, her chest moved up and down against his enticingly, and Darien felt as though he were the most powerful man on earth. And at that very moment, he felt a possessive bond forge between him and Serena. He wanted her.

"Okay."

"Okay, what?" Darien wondered aloud at Serena's tiny whisper.

He watched as she looked down, and then looked back up fleetingly into his eyes. "I'll do it, I'll marry you." Serena grumbled.

Darien's smile broadened at his victory, which made Serena glare at him through her blond bangs.

"Can you let me down now?" She asked.

Darien realized he was still holding her pinned against the wall, with her legs clinging to his waist. "I don't think so," He answered jokingly, "I like this position."

Serena gasped at the sexual innuendo in his tone, and slapped him on the arm. "That's gross!" She squealed.

"It's not as gross as what you were doing to me a few minutes ago with that tongue of yours," Darien answered arrogantly.

A look of pure horror struck Serena's face at his comment, and then she began to wail. "Not a word of what happened in this room will bet let out of this room, got it?" She pouted as she came sliding down to the floor as Darien released her. He turned around to grab her bags on the bed.

"I'll think about it," was Darien's smooth reply.

When Darien got no response, he turned around to face her again, and found that she was sulking in the corner. He sighed with exasperation, "We're getting married, Serena, people will be thinking we're going to be doing a lot more than just kissing, okay? So I don't know what you're so worried about."

There was a long silence, and then Serena took a deep breath and nodded. "You're right, I guess."

"Of course I'm right," Darien agreed, and then he leant down to kiss her forehead, and then with her bags in hand, he turned towards the door. "Let's go, your parents are waiting for you outside."

"What?" Serena's ears perked up at that little bit of news. "How do you know?"

"I heard the door open and then close just as you threw yourself at me."

Darien regretted, telling her the truth. An ear-splitting, hair-raising screech emitted from Serena. "You're lying!"

"Nope," Darien shook his head, "They saw you throw yourself at me like a moral-less hussy." His cheerful attitude was like insult to injury, and Serena was seething mad.

"How come you didn't tell me?" She cried.

"Because," Darien answered, "I was too preoccupied with how good your body felt pressed up against mine to care who the hell saw us."

"You're so cruel," Serena stammered, embarrassed beyond belief.

"Well get over it, because you're going to live with me for the rest of your life." Darien sounded all too happy for Serena's liking.

"You're lucky you're just too damn good-looking to refuse. I was right wasn't I? It's because you're such a good kisser that I agreed to marry you," She demanded moodily.

"Babe, I can do much more than kiss you; you haven't seen anything yet. Now if you're done sulking, I'd like to leave."

Down the hospital corridor, Serena's shriek could be heard from through the door.

* * *

Serena could not look her parents in the eye for a full week, and she blamed it entirely on Darien.

"So you two have got everything figured out then?" Ilene asked one morning as Serena came to the table for breakfast.

Serena could feel her cheeks flush, and all she could do was nod. She didn't dare trust her voice. She pulled out a chair and sat down with her mother and father.

"I expect there's going to be a wedding," her father grumbled from over his plate of eggs and rice.

"Yes," Serena answered quietly. Her stomach still lurched as she imagined the scene her mother and father had witnessed her with Darien. "I'm not hungry," she said a loud, "Could you pass me the orange juice please?"

"How exciting, Kenji," Ilene sighed, as she handed Serena the pitcher of juice, "Our baby's getting married."

There was no reply from her father, and so Ilene said again, "Isn't it exciting, Kenji?"

"Never thought you'd find a man with a hide thick enough to handle you," her father replied, looking up from his breakfast.

"This is no time to be rude, honey," Ilene reprimanded.

"I'm not being rude, I'm simply telling the truth," Kenji justified, taking another bite of his eggs.

"Don't pay attention to your father, dear," Ilene gently eased, "He's just mad you never told us that you were dating Chiba Mamoru."

Serena smiled, feeling a little bit awkward at the kitchen table. Again, she cursed Darien. "Um, can I be excused? I'm supposed to meet Darien this morning to go over wedding plans."

Ilene beamed with joy. "Oh how wonderful! Go ahead, dear. You go get ready. If you need a ride, I'd be glad to take you over to…"

"The Chiba's," Serena filled in, "I'm meeting him at their house."

Her father snorted, "More like a mansion than a house."

"Shut up, Kenji." Ilene turned to frown at her husband.

"Thanks mom," Serena nodded, "I'll be out in a few minutes."

And then she excused herself from the table.

"Someone get the damn door!" Rei screeched as she thumped down the stairs. She was pulling on a silk red robe as she descended irritably.

It was ten in the morning and she simply could not fathom who the hell could be at the door at this time of the day. As she came to the bottom of the stairs, their butler rushed down the hallway to answer the door. Checking the security cameras, he turned to his mistress and explained, "Its Tsukino. Should I tell her to come back—"

Rei was already unlocking the door. As soon as she was able to swing the door open she pounced upon a surprised Serena. "Oh Serena, I'm so happy to see you! Darien told me about the news! You two are getting married. Oh my gosh, you're gonna be my sister-in-law!"

Baffled by Rei's enthusiastic salutation, Serena wrapped her arms around her fiery friend and squeezed her back with as much strength as she could muster from Rei's death-hold. "Hello to you too, Rei," Serena replied wryly.

If only Rei knew the reason why she was going to marry her brother, Serena thought. She sure as hell wouldn't look so damned enthusiastic. Rei, Serena imagined herself saying, the truth is I want to screw your brother. Yep, Serena thought dryly, that'd turn out wonderfully.

"Where's Darien?" Serena asked.

Closing the door, Rei ushered Serena upstairs. "To tell you the truth, I honestly don't know. Why?"

"Well, besides the fact that he's my fiancé?" Serena remarked sarcastically.

Rei laughed. "Yes, besides the fact that he's your soon-to-be-hubby-until-death-do-you-part."

Serena shot her a no-nonsense look. "I'm supposed to go over wedding plans with him today at ten."

Rolling her eyes, Rei led Serena into her bedroom. "That sounds so much like my brother; always following a tightly regimented schedule. You know, Serena," Rei cautioned, "once you marry my brother, you've got to get him out of his uptight shell, or else I swear he'll drive you crazy with all of his appointments."

Serena took her advice to heart, despite Rei's teasing tone. "So, if he's so routinely, I bet you should know what he's doing before his ten o'clock appointment?" Serena queried.

Rei jumped upon her bed and stretched herself across her rumpled sheets. Lying upon her back, she tilted her head back to stare at Serena upside-down. "Let's see, what does he usually do at nine…?" She pondered the question for a minute and then smiled.

"He's usually in the—"

"Gym practicing kendo."

Rei's head tilted slightly to the side, and she smiled brightly. "Look who I found outside, Darien. How unkind of you to be late for your ten o'clock," Rei jokingly frowned at him.

Serena turned around to face Darien and was completely floored by his presence in the doorway. Dressed in nothing but a pair of kakis pants, Darien exuded absolute male prowess. She couldn't help but run her gaze across his bronze sculpted chest, and the rippling muscles in his powerful shoulders and arms. And as her eyes continued down Darien's fine specimen of a male body, she memorized every sinewy dip and bend in his six-pack abs. When she dared no longer to follow the trail of tiny hairs leading down under his pants, her gaze returned to his face.

He was looking at her with a knowing expression on his face. Serena blushed furiously. "Hey," was all he simply said. And she watched in total awe as his muscles flexed as he shifted slightly on his feet and stuffed his hands into his pockets.

"Hey," Serena replied back breathlessly.

"Darien, go put on a shirt," Rei ordered, "You can't go around the house in nothing but your pants."

"I can do anything I want in this house," Darien rolled his eyes at her. He then turned to Serena and slanted his head back, and invited, "Let's go over to the living room; we can talk there."

Serena nodded her consent, and then turned around to face a scowling Rei. "We'll be just a minute," she assured her friend.

Rei didn't look like she believed her. "Well, Darien," she drawled, "If its wedding plans you two are going over, how come I can't come along?" Rei pouted.

"I have something important I need to talk to Serena about first, but you can sit in later when we go over the wedding plans, okay?" Darien told her.

Serena was in awe of Darien's brotherly and endearing side. She had never seen him like this, almost paternal-like. It was strange, but pleasing all the same; he was such a good man.

Rei didn't look very happy, but she agreed all the same. "Okay," was all she said and then she requested that they closed her bedroom door on the way out.

They walked together in relative peace for a while. Darien was leading Serena down the hallway. She was lost in her own thoughts, while he was stuck in his. As they came to the living room, Darien and Serena sat as far away from each other as possible. Serena's reason was because she was afraid she might throw herself at Darien again. Darien's reason was so that he would not be tempted to do a retake of their make-out session in her hospital room, before he said everything he needed to say.

"Why are you acting so shy around me today?" Darien watched as her attention snapped up from her lap.

"What do you mean?" Serena evaded his question.

Darien lifted his brow in his trademark way that sort of said are-you-really-sure-you-want-to-go-there. "You know exactly what I mean."

Taking a deep breath, and then exhaling it. Serena lifted her full gaze to meet Darien's, and there was an honest look of fear in her eyes that Darien simply did not understand. "Maybe if you put on a shirt, I'd be more comfortable," Serena suggested quietly.

With a weary sigh, Darien replied, "It's this same very chest you were pressed against that day in the hospital."

Serena shook her head, "It was fully clothed then."

"What's the difference?" Darien asked.

"Well," Serena, at lost with words, tried to explain, "I couldn't see your, er—"

"Skin?" Darien smiled.

Nodding her head vigorously, Serena decided to agree. "Thank you, yes. When you're clothed I can't see your skin," as soon as she said that, she realized how ridiculous she sounded, and her cheeks grew brighter. "Oh, you know what I mean," she glared at him, as he continued to grin at her.

Deciding it was inevitable, Darien stood and walked over to the couch Serena sat on, and took a seat beside her. "Serena," he said gently, taking her hands in his, "You're gonna be seeing a lot more of my skin after we're married." To let the full message of what he was saying sink in, he flattened her fingers across his chest. When she flinched and tried to pull her hands away, he held them down tighter and laughed. She relished in the tremors that racked through his body, somehow reverberated through her fingertips to the rest of her own body. It was a strange kind of intimacy that touched her further than any kiss could do for her.

A soft smile touched her lips as she looked up at him, and in her eyes, Darien saw all of her barriers melt away. "I have only one question, Darien." Serena requested.

"What is it?" Darien encouraged. He still held her hands splayed over his chest, but now she was no longer fighting.

"I know why I want to marry you, but why do you want to marry me?"

Her question pierced him like a burning arrow, setting fire to him on the inside. He knew her questions would come, and he had prepared himself to answer them, but when the time came to it, it was much harder than he thought it would ever be.

"I want you."

That was his answer. And as vulgar as it sounded, it was the truth.

Serena seemed to ponder his answer for a minute, and as she did so, her fingers began sliding up and down his chest unconsciously. He found her ministrations highly distracting, and so he grabbed hold of her hands to stop their movements. Waiting for her to reply was a bitch, and his anxiety ate him up from the inside out.

And then she finally answered; the most innocent expression he'd ever seen on her face, making her look vulnerably sweet. "When you say you want me, you mean sexually?"

He didn't hesitate to nod. It was best for him not to be deceptive about his intentions, and he had already decided long ago to be as honest and straightforward as he could be.

"Then there's no pretense of love in this marriage then?"

When he nodded again, she continued.

"Then why marry me at all? Why not just…get it done with…?" She wondered.

Darien had asked himself those very same questions, but in his heart, he knew Serena deserved better than that; and hearing it come out of her mouth sounded so crude and unfeeling. Three months ago, he had decided to forgo with his plans of marriage to Serena because it was a sound match in both the physical and emotional. But now, with Serena a hit for a murder, he realized he needed to keep her close, and what better way than to have her married to him? In this way he could protect her to the fullest of his capacity and have a solid partner in the public eye for as long as she consented.

"I need a strong partner, Serena," Darien answered gravely. "You're the one."

"I don't think I understand," Serena raised her brows skeptically at him.

"It's easy," He explained bluntly, "You're a nonentity. Your name is not attached to anything. You're not a spoiled heiress, and you've never been in the public eye before, and so you're practically like a baby. By marrying me, you're going to create your own image for the media by your actions, rather than having an image thrust upon you by your lineage. You're the perfect wife."

She looked absolutely baffled. "But what about the scandal having to do with my up bringing?" Serena inquired.

"No one will care," Darien sounded too confident in his inference, and it made Serena uneasy, "You'll be regarded as a Cinderella story. You'll be adored."

Though not many females could stomach hearing that their fiancé had absolutely not reserves for falling in love with them, Serena brushed off the hurt quickly. She was trying to be realistic about all of this, and she knew that if she put her heart first in these matter's nothing would be resolved, except the fact that her heart would be quite bruised from the blow of his rejection. But then again, she argued, she wasn't looking for his love or anyone else's love at all. Shake it off, she told herself, and that's exactly what she did.

"Look Serena," Darien reassured her kindly, like the good man that he was, "I don't mean to be so aloof and unemotional about this. But it's easier to deal with emotions later rather than now because—"

Serena held up her hands in a halting gesture. "I know, Darien. You don't have to explain to me. I understand completely."

Relief swept through Darien's entire body, and he sighed heavily. "Then does that mean you agree to follow throw with our wedding plans?"

Serena nodded, and then hesitated. "This marriage seems to only benefit you, though, Darien. What's in it for me?"

A roguish smile contorted his lips, as he replied, "You mean besides the sex?"

Blushing, Serena became speechless at his frank question. She could only nod. And Darien laughed at her child-like reaction to the S-E-X word.

"I've agreed to pay back your every expense to Akita University, and to provide you with everything in which you want."

"No," Serena denied stubbornly.

"You will not," she shook her head. "I will not let you pay back my school fees."

Her pride was taking issue with his offer, Darien knew. But he would not hear anything of it. "You _will_ let me pay for your school fees, Serena." Darien demanded.

Despite the dramatic change in Darien's warm tone to a chilling businesslike manner, Serena looked the devil himself in the eye and fought with all the strength she had. It was a losing battle from the start.

"Face it Serena, with your current jobs, and with your current life-style it is near impossible for you to save enough money to pay off your school debts. You can't do it alone. Let me help you, let me take some of the burden off of your shoulders. That's what husband's do, and you're not gonna fight me on this matter. It's settled."

Serena knew he was right. She knew she needed him more than ever, but she couldn't bring herself to accept it. Reluctantly, she agreed. Her parent's too were suffering (though it was their fault for their financial problems), and despite their significant help in their debt, she knew their intentions were good, and that she shouldn't be selfish when Darien was offering her a once in a lifetime chance. She had to think about her parents, and what would be also in their best interest. And only for that reason did she agree.

"Just to tell you, Darien," Serena moped, "I don't like this one bit."

Darien smiled, he was proud of her courageous decision. "There's no turning back now."

"I know," She answered, "and that's why I'm so scared. Darien?" Serena looked up at Darien, her eyes showing all of the turmoil and questions building up inside of her.

"Yes?"

"Can you hold me? Just for a little bit?" Her voice was barely above a whisper, but Darien could here the tears behind it, and he felt like such a jerk.

"Of course," he said achingly.

Serena scooted closer to Darien, and he did everything else from there. Wrapping his arms tightly around her shoulders, he hauled her up against his side, and simply held her there for a long while. In silence they reveled in the comfort of each other's presence, knowing that they both were about to embark on a frightful journey together in which the end result was very uncertain. But in those few moments as they snuggled close together, they managed to forget the future for just a while longer.

It was an intensely frightful and immensely satisfactory feeling to have someone so close to you in which you could share everything. And yet somehow, they both had found one another, in there time of need. Warmth seeped through them as they continued to hold one another, and then an overwhelming feeling unknown to Darien began to gnaw at his icy heart, and he found himself tilting Serena's head up towards his, and his head began a slow but sure descent to hers.

The kiss was very sweet; filled with promise and affection. It touched the very core of them both.

Serena pulled away first this time. She smiled awkwardly, and then thanked Darien profusely of his kindness. When Darien said there was no need for her to thank him, she laughed with a new found hope.

"To think this is where our relationship would lead to when I first met you," She reminisced.

Darien agreed whole-heartedly. "I thought you'd just be fun to keep around for a while."

"And now it's till-death-do-us-part," Serena remarked dryly.

"Is it a scary thought?" Darien asked her as he slouched down into the chair, and closed his eyes.

"Shouldn't I be asking you that?" Serena asked wryly.

"Why's that?"

"Because its men who get cold feet when they think about being tied down to the same woman for the rest of their life," Serena replied matter-of-factly.

"Nope," Darien smiled his answer.

Turning to her side to study Darien's chiseled good looks, Serena questioned, "Nope what?"

"I'm not scared at all about marrying you."

Serena knew she might have been reading more into his statement than what he had intended, but she was deeply moved by his sincere admission.

"Well I'm not scared either," she said; suddenly feeling that everything would be all right.

Darien opened his eyes at the sweet tone of her voice, and found himself lost in sapphire blue pools. "I can't believe I used to think you were plain," he chuckled aloud. He raised a hand to caress her cheek.

He didn't know how he could have ever thought that. Serena had an exotic kind of beauty. She had beautiful large eyes, with soft full lips, and a perky dainty nose. Her skin was as soft as silk to his touch, and her body was toned and firm. She had the voluptuous curves of a young woman, and looked like a blond goddess. It drove him crazy thinking about what lay beneath all of the layers of clothes she wore. In his mind, pictures of her in a bikini by the pool teased him, and of her never looking so good in her life as she did that night at Mina's party, so full of confidence.

Turning her face to the side, Serena kissed his palm and smiled. "I used to think you were an arrogant son of a bitch, in fact, I still do."

Darien laughed out right at her comment, and he had to concede her the award of the wittiest. She laughed then too, and couldn't help herself as she rolled over to his side and laid her head upon his shoulder. As their mirth subsided to companionable silence, Serena stayed right beside Darien.

"Can I ask you something, Darien?" Serena broke the calm with her question.

Looking down at Serena who half laid across his chest, Darien nodded. Running his hands through the silky tresses of her hair, Darien occupied himself with watching her golden strands of hair glide through his fingertips as he waited for her to begin.

"Would you regard this—what would you call it?" Serena wondered.

"Call what?" Darien asked.

"Our getting married," Serena supplied. She watched his fascinated expression as he played with her hair, and she had to bite down on her lip to stop herself from giggling.

"A union," Darien answered, "I'd call it a union."

Serena nodded, deciding it was indeed a good word for it. "All right, what would you regard this union as, Darien? Is it a real marriage, or would you call it a business arrangement?"

Darien sense that there was some underlying meaning in his answer that Serena was looking for and automatically, his defenses went back up. He knew woman all too well. "What do you mean, Serena?" He thought to play it safe.

Serena could feel there was a change in attitude in Darien, and she decided there really was no use in being roundabout in her quest. "It's simple Darien. I can't help but feel that our joining together in namesake only is a mockery of marriage. You have to admit that the way we've been conducting ourselves seems a little professional, almost businesslike. Would you agree?"

In a way, Serena really wanted him to disagree, to say that their marriage was not a mockery, but Serena knew that she was only setting herself up to disappointment.

"Yes," Darien replied unfeelingly. "That's exactly what this is. In fact, if you'd like to regard it as a businesslike matter, you can. There's no romantic love or real commitment; just a partnership in which we both will be benefited."

And all the while, as he said this, as he watched the pain flash through Serena's eyes, Darien knew that he was lying. Help him Kami, he was falling and he couldn't stop himself.

* * *

**End Notes:** Again, if they're any questions or comments, please feel free to send them to me, however I request that you hold any questions on the St. James family until I can explain further in next chapters. I hope you really enjoyed this chapter, I actually had a lot of fun writing it. We get to see a closer bonding between Serena and Darien.


	15. Chapter 15

**AN:** I've just realized that I am not very consistent. I'm very bummed about that. It's not a good trait. I say that I'm going to write shorter chapters and update more often. Do I do that? No. I say that I'm going to be posting extra info and answer questions on my webpage. Have I been doing that? N-O-P-E. Gosh darn it, I'm mad at myself. I've decided that I simply should shut up. What's the good in me saying anything when I don't do it. Here's how it is, whenever I feel like posting, I will post. That works for both of us right? It damn well better, because I can't come up with a better solution.

Anyways, about this chapter: I think that it's okay. You may or may not like it. To me, personally, I feel that the story is dragging on...I need something climatic...events seem like they're being over dramatic and over played now...but hey! Don't let that stop you from reading it! But do tell me what you think when you're done. I want to improve for the next chapter. Suggestions always welcomed!

So, now on with the show!

**Disclaimer:** All rights to Sailor Moon reserved to Naoko Takeuchi.

* * *

Neither Serena nor Darien moved an inch for a full hour. They sat together like old friends who grew up with one another, and were discussing trivial things that animated the room with the heat of their debate. But that was just an analogy. The truth of the matter was: they were not old friends; they've known each other not even for a year. They were not quibbling over trivial things either; they were quibbling over the plans of their wedding, in which they would be bonded together for life. Frightful. Mere strangers were all they were. And mere strangers they promised to be.

"How about next spring?" Serena suggested thoughtfully; propping her chin in the palms of her hands. She was leant over her legs, her head tilted up towards Darien.

"Its spring _now_," Darien frowned.

"Is that an agreement?" Serena asked hopefully; she squinted at his intimidating scowl.

"Its spring _now_," Darien reiterated, looking fiercer. He sat straight back against the couch, his arms rested along the top cushions.

Serena was not scared of Darien's sharp eyes. In fact, she had already come to the conclusion that she would not be the one being pushed around in the marriage. No siree; if Darien wanted to play rough, she'd put in equal measure.

This time, as Serena spoke again, she put an extra force behind her voice, "I think," she paused dramatically, rising from her bent position until her back was a rigid upright arch, and then she cast him a piercing glare, "that a spring wedding would be beautiful."

She watched as Darien's scowl melted away, replaced by a slow almost sexy smile. His eyes connected with hers, and for the briefest of seconds she saw in his eyes an understanding. She decided she liked that—this strange connection that she somehow shared with him. It would almost be very beautiful if not for the fact that neither of them felt any real romantic affection for the other. She had won, she knew. He would relent.

"It's spring _now_."

This time it was Serena's turn to frown. Boy was she wrong.

She looked menacing, Darien decided, and his smile broadened.

So much for a _connection_, she thought dryly. Yeah, sure, she murmured sarcastically to herself, she certainly could read him like a book. Serena sighed, her frustration on the verge of exploding from the top of her head like molten magma from an ancient volcano.

"I know its spring now," she replied in a strangely controlled calm voice.

Darien nodded, satisfied, and then said, "All right then; now we can continue with the plans."

Serena chanted a prayer for patience, for she was sure she was going to kill this man before they could walk down the isle together.

"Darien," Serena purred on a yawn, "What's wrong with getting married next spring?"

Like a child eyeing a piece of delectable candy in a window display, Darien's eyes hungrily followed the arch of Serena's back as she pushed her chest forward and raised her arms high above her head in a lazy, unconscious movement to stretch her aching muscles. His eyes set a hot path down her creamy elegant neck, lingering at her breasts thrusting out against the white T-shirt she wore, and finally down the erotic curve of her back to the tiny exhibit of flesh that was only visible when her shirt was hiked up with the elevation of her arms. And on his journey back up, he lit the trail with a match that set her whole body ablaze.

There was no way in hell he was going to wait a full year before he took her to bed. Absolutely no way.

And he told her exactly that.

Serena flushed beet red. "I did not want to hear that."

A slow roguish grin pulled at Darien's lips. His eyes lit up with amusement as he directed his soul-searing gaze onto her. "I thought women liked it when their men told them how attractive they were." His voice was like a child's; he feigned innocence of her embarrassed glare. He even had the audacity to shrug his shoulders at her and smile knowingly.

His good humor proved contagious. Serena looked away, unable to help the laughter that escaped from her mouth. She really did not want to encourage his foolishness, but he was too darn cute. She couldn't help it. And strangely, she didn't want to help it.

Serena took a quick glance back at Darien and found him still watching her with that knowing gaze, and she diverted her eyes to her lap. She remembered the staring contests she used to have with Darien a while back and how she would never back down from a challenge; but for some reason, she simply could not bring herself to meet his eyes anymore. It seemed to her that there was something underlying the simple action, as though if she ever did connect with his gaze she'd be a goner. Doomed. It'd be the end of it for her. She'd fall in love, that was for sure, and she couldn't let that happen.

Taking a deep breath, drawing up all her courage, Serena commanded in her no-nonsense voice, "Stop it. We're getting sidetracked again, and personally, I want to discuss the important issues before the day is out and I have to leave."

Despite Serena's fervent tries to get his mind out of the gutter, Darien did not sober up to her authoritative tone. Instead he sat back and regarded her with an amused sideways glance that irritated Serena to the point of contemplating homicide. He was trying his damn best to keep the conversation light and carefree while his bride was trying her damn best to keep the conversation as professional and serious as it was. Their efforts simply were not effective.

"Okay, fine. Since its spring _now_," she mimicked Darien's tone, and then glowered when he chuckled at her dire attitude, "Let's have our wedding at the end of April. That gives us two full months to take care of arrangements."

"Two weeks," Darien shook his head.

Confused by Darien's words, Serena dug into her pockets and pulled out her cell phone. The frown upon her brows lifted as she checked the screen. "No," She shook her head, "It's only the first week of March, which means we'll have all of this month and all of April to prepare for the—Why are you shaking your head like that? Darien, stop it."

"I'll give you two weeks tops and then we'll have the wedding," Darien answered. He was being very serious. The set in his jaw was evidence enough for that, and Serena was becoming increasingly incensed with his easy air of authority. It wasn't fair, he had a lifetime of practice, and she really did not know how to deal with him.

"But Darien," Serena protested, she felt hopelessly helpless and she didn't like it—she was the bride damn it and the wedding was suppose to be done her way—"I don't want to get married in March."

Darien didn't even spare her a glance as he replied, "Well that's too bad, I've already decided."

Infuriated, Serena jumped to her feet. She turned like a madman on Darien. Her hands were clenched at her sides, her knuckles white with the sheer might she exerted on them, forcing all the blood into her face, which burned red with her anger. "Unless you're marrying yourself, Darien, you have to consult me with your stupid ideas first before we go through with them! This is my wedding too, and I will not sit back and watch like some helpless bystander or worst—like a guest—while my whole wedding happens before my eyes. I won't have it! We're partners here, and if this is your idea of an equal partnership, then I really don't think I want to stick around for the rest of my life to see how this—this _thing_ turns out! Do you understand me?"

Her voice broke at the end. And despite her act of strength, her vulnerability shone through.

Serena was trying her hardest not to cry. She was becoming an emotional wreck and she could not explain it. Could it be due to stress? No, she reasoned, stress was hardly the problem. Could it be due to the fact that she was selling herself into this marriage in name only? It made sense. She was filled with so much doubt and confusion about her decision; she was lost in a whirlwind of questions. She couldn't help but feel that there was something else there. _Something. _It was subtle, barely detectable, but still there, and it was tearing at her, and somehow she knew it had to do with her real decision for agreeing to marry Darien. If only she could figure out what it was.

She was breathing hard from her heated tirade; her face was still red, her hands were still clenched, but now tears threatened to fall. Darien thought she looked very much like an angry and hurt angel. _His_ angel, and for some strange reason his chest swelled with tenderness at that thought.

One look at Darien's clenched jaw and Serena knew he was not happy with what she had just said. Slowly the tension in her fingers loosened, and when she regain some semblance of control over her breath, Serena decided to take a guarded stance, with her hands crossed over her chest and her legs together, in front of Darien. She looked away, out into the wide windows that looked down into the Chiba's large garden, so that Darien would not see her glazed eyes.

She was being stupid, she told herself. Why was she crying? There was no reason to cry. She hardly ever cried, and she would not let herself do it now, in front of Darien, and for no reason at all.

Darien knew she was on the verge of breaking down. The bright sunlight that streamed into the room through the window reflected off the tears in her eyes so that her sapphire orbs looked like crystallized wild flowers of blue. He did not like what he saw. He did not believe that the same broken girl in front of him was the same that had just been yelling like an enraged tyrannical queen at him. Silently he swore at himself.

What did he do? He wondered. Was he not being serious enough for her? He had tried to comply with her wishes. She had wanted him to be more serious, right? And he had done that. What was wrong with her? Sighing, Darien resigned himself to the knowledge that she was a woman, and with that in mind, it was fruitless for him to even try to decipher what was going through her head because he would never understand her.

But he knew that he could not leave her feeling the way she was, it was easy to see that she was hurt somehow, and he had to make amends. And he did what he knew how to do best. He reached out for her.

Surprised by the gentle caress of Darien's fingers against her skin, sending a shock of electricity through every nerve in her body, Serena's head swiftly dropped to her waist, where Darien's hands had found their way under her shirt.

"What are you doing?" She gasped. Her hands immediately sought his, in an attempt to stop him from doing anything else that may cause her heart to beat faster than it already was. His hold was strong, but very gentle, and Serena could not understand why in the world that excited her so much.

And then his voice caught her attention, and her eyes immediately connected with his. She saw all of her answers there in his eyes. Smiling back at her in their deep dark depths, were all the tenderness and affection that any man had ever given her and, until this moment, had only been a dream of hers. In that moment all of her fears seemed to fade away. There was such promise there in his gaze, such comfort. She couldn't help but feel incredibly protected. Now, she was in trouble. She had met and held Darien's gaze for longer than was reasonable.

"I'm trying to reassure you," Darien answered sincerely as he moved his thumb back and forth ever so sensually across her midriff.

Trying to ignore the sweet sensation Darien was sending up her spine, Serena raised an inquisitive brow and asked skeptically, "Reassure me?" She clamped her hands down over his thumb, which was playing a little too low under the waistband of her pants.

Nodding, Darien gently began pulling Serena closer towards him. She was intoxicating him. Just touching her drove him crazy and rational thought seemed to elude him every time she was near. And all the while, he was steering her right onto his lap.

"And how are you reassuring me?" Serena questioned. She was absolutely oblivious to Darien's expert maneuvering. Her hands were still clamped down over his.

Pulling his hands away, Darien smiled tenderly up at the girl perched on his lap. "I'm making sure that you know that between you and me we'll always have equal partnership." Placing his hands at the tops of her knees, Darien leisurely began kneading her thighs through the fabric of her jeans.

"And how are you going to do that?" She wondered, not yet aware of her soon-to-be-husband's roaming hands. Serena looked down intently at Darien to see his reply.

"Like this." With those simple words he took her chin between his thumb and index finger and brought her lips to his.

He was being extremely gentle. His kiss was incredibly sweet, and not at all forceful or passionate like the others he had given her before. There was something much deeper in this one, and very tender. Just the slight pressure of his lips against hers was making her dizzy with pleasure, but she didn't let him know it. She sat as rigidly as a block of ice upon his lap, letting his warm kisses thaw her slowly.

Serena could feel his hands moving back and forth in a comforting manner up her thighs. It wasn't at all sexual. Just soothing. His whole entire attitude was soothing, and she found herself melting into his kiss. Her nerves were calmed and her entire being relaxed, and she felt unbelievably rejuvenated. She had never felt as alive as when Darien kissed her. It was magic, pure magic, how he could make her feel this way.

Tiny butterfly kisses assaulted Serena's lips, and she smiled into it. Changing courses, Darien's lips found the corner of her mouth and created a hot trail of kisses down to her chin, and up her cheek to her earlobe. She could feel the rising passion in Darien as he breathed hotly into her ear, sending shivers of delight to her very core. And she too began to lose herself to the simmering heat that was growing stronger and stronger with each caress of Darien's lips against her skin, in the pit of her stomach.

She was falling fast into the euphoric bliss Darien was wrapping her senses in, but only one thing sent her tumbling to her heavenly demise.

Darien's voice pierced through her haze as swift as an arrow, his tone warmed her heart and kindled the fire burning deep within her. "Please," he whispered gruffly into her ear, "Kiss me back." She could feel him shake with his need to have her take part in the sweet torture he was giving them both. And Serena was swept away by the strong pull of Darien's tide, carrying her off into the vast ocean that was filled with all the wonderful possibilities Darien held in store for her. Her mind captured the poignancy of the moment like a snapshot in her heart.

"Kiss me back, sweetheart," he said again, but this time, more pleadingly as he brushed his lips tenderly against her. He wanted her entire cooperation, and he would not stop until he had her kissing him back and panting for more. Then she'd see that all he wanted was her equal partnership.

She moaned with all the emotions Darien evoked in her, and immediately she answered his plea by pressing her palms against his chest, and she began to run her tongue along the seams of his lips, urging him to open for her. Her boldness won her a strained groan from Darien as he drew her tongue into his mouth to let her explore him. And she squealed with surprise as both his hands cupped her round buttocks and lifted her so that she sat straddling his waist.

Darien could only groan again at the increase in pressure on his member. His control was slipping fast, and he knew he couldn't be doing this right before his own wedding—he'd die of raging lust. Under the intense onslaught of Serena's open mouth kiss, Darien was fighting a losing battle. He really wanted to be gentle with her; to let her take control of this kiss, just as he'd taken control of all the other ones before. But the way she was running her tongue along his was too damn tempting. And the way her body was pushing and moving against his…ah hell.

Serena felt Darien's hands slide up her thighs, where he had been massaging them with such strength that she was sure would leave bruises. Her breath caught in her throat as she felt them move up over her hips, and continue determinedly upward until they reached their destination. Her breasts. Stiffening, Serena pulled away from his lips and began panting wildly up against his cheek as she felt his hands cup her breasts firmly and began squeezing gently and kneading them seductively.

"Darien," Serena began in protest. The fear was in her voice, and Darien did not miss it. "Darien, I don't think—"

His eyes opened then, and Serena's gaze held his. She had never been held or handled in this way before. Everything he was doing to her was absolutely new, and each new experience he made her feel was a blissful surprise, but for some reason this intimacy scared her a little. It seemed to her that he was somehow finally staking his claim over her with his touch, and she wasn't sure if she wanted to relinquish to him the rights to her body just yet.

But there in his eyes, so filled with passion, she could also see genuine concern, and she melted into his hands. And it just felt right.

Feeling the stiffness leave her body, Darien fully took control over the kiss. Roughly his lips seized hers in a searing kiss that burned to the soul. It was hot and wet and open and carnal. His hands increased their force on her breasts, and his whole being shook as he heard her moan of sheer delight; but he never lost his gentle touch. In and out his tongue moved; showing her just what he wanted to do to her with his body. At first forceful and fast, but then sensually and slowly, teasing her until she was almost pleading for him to stop the torment.

She was making the sexiest sounds he'd ever heard come from any woman from the back of her throat, and it made him want to take her then and there on the couch. He could feel himself getting harder and harder at the thought of completing the act, the thought of entering her, and feeling her strong long legs wrapped around his waist.

"Damn…" he grounded out against her mouth. She was beginning to move her hips against his, and he knew she didn't know what she was doing to him. In fact, he was sure she didn't even know she was doing it.

He liked it. He liked it a lot, all right, and he wasn't going to stop her if she wanted to cuddle up against his…oh man.

Serena was trying to move away from the offending object that was pushing up against her private areas. She kept shifting left to right, up and down, but she couldn't get away from the hardness that was pressing against her. Was it his zipper? She thought through the clouded state of her mind. As Darien continued to ravage her lips with his, and drown her senses in erotic pleasure, Serena began a restless thrusting movement with her hips that she found a natural response, and it kind of…strangely, felt good.

Her hands began a slow descent down his chest, to where the hard object was straining against the very heat of the junction between her thighs.

Darien nearly shouted as he felt Serena's slender fingers close around his erection through his pants. Immediately, he pulled his lips away from hers, and his head fell to the hollow of her neck. Sweat drenched his forehead as he waited for her to release her grip on him as hot white flashes coursed through him. It was torture.

After a long moment of deep breaths, and thoughts of Antarctica, Darien was able to find his voice. It was apparent to him that Serena was in a state of shock. She did not speak nor move an inch. And that was the problem, she still held him firmly in her hands.

"Are you planning to do something with that? Because if you aren't, can I ask you to let me go?" Darien asked through clenched teeth, trying to keep his mind off his throbbing erection, in which he knew full well that Serena could feel it surging in her fingers.

At his words Serena released him, jerking her hand back as though she had just been burnt.

"I'm sorry," She blurted out embarrassedly. "I didn't know."

Throwing his head back onto the cushion of the couch, Darien closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He was giving himself time so that his heart could slow down and so the blood in his body could flow back to his brain so he could think properly.

"Don't apologize," Darien replied brusquely, and he picked her up and deposited her on the cushion beside him. "I should have stopped it before it got that far."

Her ears were pounding with her mortification, and so Serena was hardly paying attention to what Darien was saying. Oh my goodness. Oh my goodness, was all that ran through her mind. She could not believe what she had just done—what she had just held! Oh my fucking goodness. Could she possibly be more retarded? Of course the hard thing pressing up against her was his…she gulped. She should have known, but she wasn't thinking clearly at the time. Hell, she never could think clearly when Darien was around. As the full meaning of her actions hit her, Serena felt like crying with embarrassment.

Holy cow she had just grabbed his penis.

Serena wanted to jump off a bridge. She was sure she could never look Darien in the eyes again. Or worse, think of him without his erection. What was she thinking? Grabbing him like that? Serena didn't know she was holding her breath until her lungs were burning for air. Okay, just calm down, she told herself, taking deep breaths. She really needed to grow up. She was turning nineteen for Kami's sake. And was she not going to marry this man?

Truth finally dawned on Serena then. Yes, she was going to marry Darien. And yes, he gave no pretense about what he wanted to do with her on their wedding night. She knew what he wanted, and had agreed to it. So, why was she acting like this? Like a child? Darien made her yearn for so many things that excited her and scared her at the same time, but he never steered her wrong. He could make her pulse quicken with just the touch of his hands against hers, he could make her breath catch with just a sideways glance, and most of all he could make her feel incredibly wanted with just the simple caress of his lips against hers. No one ever made her feel that way before.

Serena decided that she'd best swallow up her humility, for she was going to be seeing _a lot_ of Darien. And if touching him from outside of his pants freaked her out, she couldn't imagine what her reaction would be like, _seeing_ him outside of his pants. She'd die, she was sure, but she'd do anything for her husband, and if he wanted to get kinky at night then she'd willingly oblige.

Seeing the sour face on Serena, Darien grimaced. He hoped she wasn't rethinking their agreement on intimacy. He knew he came on a little too strong, but he couldn't help it. Not when his little temptress was doing all of those things to his tongue, and grinding her hip up against his arousal. But, he still should have had a little more restraint. He was the experienced one. He should have stopped things before he became that lost in her kiss. Oh man, when had he ever been so lost in a kiss before? It was only Serena who could do that to him. She did the weirdest things to his thoughts. And damn it, he didn't like the way she affected him.

One thing was for sure however, he was not going to let her back out of the deal now.

Her tears were forgotten, and his purpose to show her their partnership was long gone.

"What are you thinking about?" Darien asked with a gentle frown across his forehead.

Serena looked up from her lap. Her humiliation was gone from her face. She was scowling though, and Darien didn't like that very much either. Her brows were furrowed in a thick mess of thoughts, her eyes were lowered slightly as if she were analyzing something chaotic, and her lips were pressed firmly together in a stubborn line. She was definitely thinking over the intimacy part, Darien deducted.

When Serena answered, the apprehension in her face slowly dissipated, and she managed a weak smile. "Our wedding," she answered truthfully.

Darien's frown grew fiercer. "Exactly what about our wedding?" He was making sure she wasn't dwelling on how he was possibly ruining her life by coercing her into the union.

Serena hesitated for the briefest of seconds before she gave him her answer, debating on whether or not she should fib just a little bit. "I was thinking about our wedding night," she answered honestly, and a faint blush could be detected on her cheeks. "I'm a little scared," she confessed and then added, "but I'm sure everything will turn out perfectly," and as she said this, she patted Darien lightly on the arm.

It took him a moment to realize that she was trying to reassure him. She was looking up at him with eyes that offered comfort, and he couldn't fathom why. He felt like laughing. He was in no need to be encouraged that their wedding night would be perfect, in fact, he'd make sure that her every need would be fulfilled and then he'd find his own satisfaction. He was absolutely positive everything would be heaven.

A wide grin crossed his face, and Serena thought he looked absolutely delicious. And she too smiled at the thought that she was going to have an eyecandy for a husband.

"You do know what I intend for us to do on our wedding night, right?" Darien questioned, just to make sure.

Serena nodded, and then said grimly, "Yes, I do, so there's no need for you to explain to me about…you-know-what."

Laughing outright at her modesty, Darien scooped her up and sat her upon his lap again like Santa Clause would do to tiny children around Christmas time. "Serena, you're not thinking about running from the wedding, are you?"

Serena laughed out loud at his suspicious tone of voice.

"Are you accusing me of being a coward?" Serena slapped Darien's arm in mock outrage. "Because if you are, the wedding's off Mister! I will not marry a man who thinks I'm a coward."

"Nice try, sweetheart," Darien chuckled, and he kissed Serena on the cheek. "But I hardly think you're a coward."

"Well you better not," Serena scolded playfully, "Or else you'll get it on the wedding night."

Darien quirked an eyebrow suggestively and drawled, "You got some ideas about the honeymoon already? Getting kinky, aren't we?"

A pillow hit him in the face in reply. "Don't be stupid," Serena rolled her eyes. "Guys and their fantasies—might as well warn you now that whatever you're cooking up in your head won't come true."

Chuckling lightly, Darien brushed his lips slowly against Serena's. "Wanna bet?" He asked huskily.

"No."

Smiling at her brisk answer, Darien lifted her up and placed her back on the cushion beside him once more. "Good, you're becoming too much of a distraction anyways."

Serena frowned darkly. "Whatever," she grumbled, "Let's cover some basics, at least. We haven't even put a dent in the wedding plans."

As she said this, Rei entered through the doorway.

"Well that's a relief," Rei said as she made her way around the coffee table to sit across from them. As she sat down in the armchair, she crossed her legs and stretched her arms out wide along the armrests. "I thought I'd miss all the major planning. I mean, I decided to take a shower, and I was sure you two would be done discussing wedding plans already." Rei tossed her raven black hair over her bare shoulders, and Serena noticed that her hair was indeed wet.

"So?" Rei inquired bluntly.

"So, what?" Darien replied unperturbed by her entrance into their private conversation.

Rei wasn't fazed by her brother's lack of collaboration. "So when's the wedding, who's coming, where's it going to be at? You know," she looked at them dumbly, "all that good stuff."

Serena smiled as she answered, "The weddings going to be at the end of March."

"Next spring? That's a wonderful idea," Rei nodded her approval.

"At the end of this month, Rei," Darien interrupted tersely.

He was beginning to become highly annoyed with his sister, and that didn't happen too often. But he believed he was excused due to his state of sexual arousal. He'd much rather be alone with Serena at the moment, and he really didn't appreciate his sister's interference.

"You can't do that," Rei protested, shocked, "that's impossible."

Baffled, Serena looked at Rei for an answer, "Why's that?"

"Serena, you're not going to settle for a dinky little wedding are you? You can't let Darien give you a last minute ceremony. You've got to have time to prepare."

Thankful for Rei's helpful words, Serena nodded her agreement. "You're right, Rei," Serena said, and then she turned towards Darien, "Maybe we should wait; prolong the engagement."

Darien glowered. And as he replied he sounded like a grouchy bear, "Serena," he grumbled, "should I tell Rei the reasons for why we chose the end of this month again?" At his subtle threat, Serena immediately changed her mind.

"Oh yeah," She nodded wholeheartedly, "I'm sorry, Rei. The decision is final; Darien and I have already settled it."

Rei looked at them from one to the other warily. "Is that right?" She remarked just a little too dryly for Darien's like.

"What's that suppose to mean?" He growled.

Rei raised her hands defensively. "Jeez, Darien, calm down. If you want the wedding plans all done and carried out in two weeks, then I'm fine with it. But don't you think Serena will be a little stressed out with all of the things she needs to get done. You've got to realize what she's got to deal with. She's got to find a dress, she's got to pick out a place to have the ceremony, she's got to pick out invitations cards, she's got to make out her guest list, and then she's got to pick out the food, the decorations, the band, the photographer, her brides maids, her cake, her shoes, and oh my gosh what else?"

Serena looked to Darien for help. He was staring darkly over at Rei, and Serena smiled guiltily; she was taking pleasure in his pain. He deserved it though, she decided. Rei was right; Darien was being very inconsiderate about what she wanted for the wedding. Serena decided she was going to have to speak up.

"She's right, Darien," Serena said gently, trying to ease him into reality.

Darien's head swiveled slowly in her direction, and as she was pinned with the full force of his eyes, Serena stiffened. He looked rather eerie, like one of those dummies used by ventriloquists.

"Rei," Darien said rather too calmly to be a good sign, "Can you please tell Serena the number of staffs Chiba Industries have?"

Rei frowned, as though she couldn't think of what his question had to do with any of the problems she'd just brought up. "How am I supposed to know?"

"Over fifty thousand," Darien answered his own question.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Rei asked impatiently.

"That means that I'll have everything taken care of; the only thing Serena needs to worry about is finding her dress. There, are you two satisfied now?"

Serena blinked, feeling very lost in their conversation. "You two lost me a while back ago."

Females. You can't live with 'em; you can't live without 'em. Darien couldn't see what the big problem was; Rei was blowing everything out of proportion. All he wanted to do was ease Serena's troubles; the last thing he intended to do was cause her more stress than she was already dealing with. She had a hit man after her, her family is in substantial debt, she is an outcast at school, and most of all she'd just lost her memory. He couldn't possibly imagine how Serena was dealing with all that, but he knew that she wasn't particularly in any condition to deal with more chaos. That was his main reason for marrying her. He wanted to aid her; to share her burdens, and to carry her problems on his shoulders.

"Tell me exactly what you want, and it'll be done for you. No questions asked. Whatever you want, you got it," Darien explained earnestly.

It wasn't what he said precisely, but the way he said it that touched Serena's heart. Gone was the playful and teasing man, gone was the harsh and defensive man, and what was left was a naked human being. His pretense was stripped away, his defenses fallen, until all he had was honesty. And the honesty that wrung true in his voice was so sincere it pierced her very soul with the magnitude of it.

Serena smiled inside, so happy that she was marrying this man. Not Chiba Mamoru, the rich socialite that everybody saw in the media, but Chiba Mamoru, the man. Not the image. His money, his good-looks, his name be-damned; she really didn't care about all of that. What did matter to her, however, were his character, his integrity, and his strength of mind. And Darien had the whole package.

Her doubts vanished then. She was making the right decision; marrying Darien would be the best choice she'd ever make. And very slowly she smiled up at him, who was still looking down at her, waiting for her reply.

"All I want is to marry you," and as Serena said this, her smile broadened, spreading from the dimples in her checks to the special light in her eyes.

Darien would never be able to tell her how her simple reply made him yearn to pull her into his arms and lose himself in her kisses. She did weird things to him. Like now, despite how hard he tried to keep focus, he couldn't because she was looking up at him in that bizarre way that made him tingle all over. He never felt this way before. Simply caught in her eyes made him want to do crazy things, and he, at twenty-three, had thought he had mastered the art of keeping his emotions in check, but she totally unwound him. Her words, like incantations, affected him in areas that he thought was no longer possible. Like with his heart.

"Okay," he nodded. "I can do that for you."

Rei's chest swelled painfully at the touching sight before her. She really didn't believe it when Darien had announced their engagement at Mina's party. But now she was witnessing it. Their love. And it was overwhelming her as she watched Serena and Darien look at each other in that way; as though they were the only two in the world. And her mind was finally content with the marriage. She had her doubts, but they went flying out the window.

"As touching as this scene is, you two have got major planning to do," Rei broke in, feeling awkward and out of place as neither Serena nor Darien spoke. "And I think I should leave you alone," she added exasperatingly.  
After Rei exited from the room, Serena chuckled, "She's right, you know? We've got things to discuss and we keep digressing."

Darien returned her smile. "It's because of you," he teased, poking her lightly in the side, "You're the reason why we keep getting sidetracked."

Pouting playfully, Serena replied, "What did I do?"

Tilting her chin up at him with his thumb, Darien kissed her lightly on the lips. "You distract me," he answered gruffly, and his face scrunched in displeasure.

Laughing, Serena splayed her hand on the side of Darien's jaw, keeping his face almost against hers. "I'm sorry," she apologized with a grin.

"Yeah, right," Darien growled, and he pulled himself away, "You look down right pleased."

Her laughter rang as clear as bells, and he felt it reverberate inside him.

"I'm gonna ask you a few questions, just tell me exactly what you want," Darien said after her shoulders halted their shaking.

Serena nodded her consent, and waited for him to begin.

Darien had stood up and walked around to a desk at the end of the room and came back with a pen and piece of paper. "I left my palm pilot in my room," he explained. "Tell me, do you want a big, medium, or small wedding?"

"I don't care as long as you're there," Serena said as she placed a hand on his shoulder and leaned forward to see what he was writing.

Smiling, Darien looked up and gave her a peck on the cheek, "Smart answer."

She watched as he scribbled out "little" and "medium" on the paper, and she couldn't help but be amused by his decision. "You want a big wedding?"

Nodding, Darien clarified as he looked up again, but this time with an innocent expression on his face, "Dreamed about it since I was a child."

"Really?" Serena was highly entertained with that bit of information. "Why's that?"

"Because I wanted the whole world to know that my bride belonged to me, and only me."

His answer knocked the wind out of her. She thought that was definitely a romantic thing to say, although they had agreed to a business-like partnership. And it hurt her, because it made her yearn for all of it, not only did she want his name, but she wanted his affection, his _loving_ affection. She told herself to shake it off, and savor the prize he was already giving her.

"Aw…," Serena tried to sound coolly detached, "I didn't know boys dreamed of that stuff."

"Oh we do," Darien nodded, and a devilish spark lit his eyes. Serena knew then that she had made a big mistake. "How else do you expect us to plan our honeymoon?"

She pinched his arm. "Ow, stop that," Darien winced.

"Not another word about our honeymoon or wedding night," Serena warned with a chilling look in her eyes.

Darien didn't dare upset Serena; he just smiled instead, and rubbed his arm where she had pinched him. "I think you drew blood," he remarked strangely amused. "See, you've got me digressing again."

Rolling her eyes heavenward, Serena ordered testily, "Well get on with it then."

Casting her a curious glance, Darien shrug off her strange temper from his mind, and continued on with his questions. "Where do you want the ceremony?"

When no answer came immediately, Darien turned to see what was keeping her. She smiled at him. "I haven't thought about it," she replied sheepishly.

"How about at the Sacred Gardens—"

"Can we really get married there?" Serena interrupted excitedly. "I thought only the royalties could—"

Darien shook her head, "Do you want to get married there?"

Serena nodded vigorously, but very shyly.

Smiling at the astonished expression in her eyes that soon turned into pure joy, Darien promised to her, "Then we'll get married there."

"Really?" Her mouth opened in awe.

"Really," Darien reassured her.

She was in a dream. That was it. She really wasn't going to get married at the Sacred Gardens. But then again, she was marrying into the richest family in Japan. Anything could happen if you had money, right? Serena reasoned. And then it really dawned on her that she, Tsukino Usagi Serena, was going to get married in a place were only Japan's most revered leaders got married. She was going to swoon.

"You okay?" Darien asked worriedly. Her cheeks were becoming pink, and she looked a little light-headed.

Serena sighed contentedly, "How can I not be?" She asked dreamily. "I'm getting married at the Sacred Gardens!"

"Well as you let that sink in, can you consider this next question too?" Darien smiled goofily at the way Serena was acting (like a child about to experience their first time at an amusement park). "Where do you want the celebration?"

Contemplating that for a minute, Serena turned to ask Darien uncertainly, "How about here? There's plenty of room right?"

"It's all up to you," Darien replied coolly.

"We'll have it in the back, out in the garden area. It'll be lovely!" Serena was getting excited about all of the planning. "Oh Darien, I can't wait!"

"And you wanted to wait another year," Darien smirked.

"Shut up," Serena glared at her groom darkly.

Darien continued to smile smugly at Serena, when something from the corner of his eyes caught his attention. He looked up. In an instant his whole entire body tensed. Standing in the doorway were his parents.

Darien's noticeable changed in attitude struck quickly and quietly. Serena was not unaware of it, however. She frowned slightly with concern at the icy glaze in his eyes, and she followed his gaze over her shoulder. Surprise swept through her like a cold windy draft. There was an elderly woman and man standing in the doorway looking critically at her; their eyes blank and almost as cold and harsh as Darien's.

They weren't very old, just _older_. They looked to be in their late forties to early fifties. Time was very kind to them. The woman had a striking face and slender figure with long flowing black hair that looked closely related to Rei's, and the man had a tall well-built frame and was almost the exact image of Darien; except around his eyes were harsh lines that looked as though they had been etched in stone and in his hair were scattered strands of white. As Serena finished her study of the couple, realization dawned on her quickly. She was looking at her future in-laws.

Darien rose like an Egyptian obelisk; rigid, tall, and unbending. His face was devoid of any emotions and his eyes betrayed nothing. Serena trembled. Something wasn't right, she knew it.

"Mother," Darien nodded in greeting, "Father."

Serena thought it was awfully formal of him to greet them in that way. She stood then, and bowed. It was an awkward moment. Darien's parents were the last people on her mind, but she hadn't planned for their meeting to be like this. She kept her head bowed for a long while, wincing at how silly she felt.

"Hello Mr. Chiba," She said through a smile that she felt from the heart, "Hello Mrs. Chiba." Serena, in her own way, was extending an olive branch by opening her heart so acceptingly.

Her offer was not going to be reciprocated, Darien knew it. And he felt like an ass, for not telling her. She was so tenderhearted; she was going to get her feelings hurt. However, he wasn't going to let his parents hurt her or degrade her. Serena didn't deserve it. Hell, she didn't deserve this deception, period, but he was still putting her through it. He was a selfish son of a bitch, Darien swore bitterly to himself.

With a detached air of confidence, Darien observed his parents as they entered the room and took a seat on the sofa beside Serena and him. He could feel Serena move closer to him; he could feel her tremble. With a soft reassuring smile, he looked down at her and kissed her forehead. He could sense her rising feeling of uncertainty, and he wanted to put a stop to it.

"This is Tsukino Usagi," Darien introduced in a voice that was so far away it heightened Serena's worry. For some reason there was a gnawing at her sides that told her something wasn't quite right about this meeting, and Darien wasn't helping with his aloof attitude.

"Serena," Darien said, but this time his voice was filled with warmth, "I want you to meet my parents. This is my father, Chiba Junichiro, and my mother, Chiba Kiko."

His mother was the first to raise a question, "Serena?" She asked skeptically, "He calls you Serena?"

Nodding her head in affirmative, Serena went on to explain, "It's what I go by."

Kiko did not look pleased, but she smiled anyways. "Just like Darien, then," she said surprisingly cordial.

Serena returned the smile, feeling her anxiety dissolve. "Yes, however, unlike him I'm not working overseas with English-speaking business partners."

Darien's mother actually laughed at that. Looking confused and slightly wary, Darien never took his eyes off his father, who was still watching Serena cautiously, while his wife was already warming up to her. He was surprised. Darien had to admit that. He didn't think his mother would be so hospitable. In fact, he had _expected_ a fight!

"So you're the girl my son plans to marry?" Junichiro sounded rather guarded.

Reminded of Darien by his distant gaze, and authoritative tone, Serena actually smiled at his question. She could see where Darien got his hard outer shell. Chiba Junichiro was as intimidating as any man with superior power could ever be. His mere presence demanded respect and attention, as did Darien, but he was much older and more hardened in his ways than his son. Serena couldn't help but be amused at the notion.

"Well that depends, sir," Serena answered with a mischievous twinkle in her eyes.

"It depends on what?"

"On whether or not I can convince him to not marry me," Serena replied.

That smart remark won her a smile from the older man; it was a small one, but a smile all the same.

"How's it going so far?" Junichiro asked gruffly.

Feeling more comfortable with herself, Serena answered laughingly, "Not so good, I'm afraid. He won't hear a word I say."

And in the next moment, Serena shared a secret look with Mr. Chiba. It was a look of approval, and a look of welcome. Warmth seeped through her like the sunbeams on a tropical beach. She felt completely at ease, even though he didn't say it, she knew that she was no longer under intense scrutiny.

"Then I guess we'll have to welcome you into the family."

Serena gave Darien a sly look that immediately made him frown. "Actually there's one other option I can use to get out of this marriage."

"Don't you dare," Darien whispered fiercely.

She didn't back down from the challenge, Serena continued, "I have to runaway and never come back."

"You pull a stunt like that and I'll launch a world wide man-hunt for you with Chiba Industries investigative agency," Darien snapped

"You wouldn't dare."

"Oh I would."

Serena was not at all the woman neither Kiko nor Junichiro had been expecting. She was carefree, witty, and light-years different from the money grubbing whore they had imagined. There she sat in front of them, wearing a plain T-shirt with loose fitting jeans, but exuding all the confidence and personality they had ever seen in a young woman. They even approved of her above Mina! Whose skimpy skirts were not at all becoming for a woman of background. But Serena was refreshingly different. She didn't look to please them, as they were Darien's parents; and she neither pretended to be something she was not, they liked that quality. They liked her.

For once they thought their son was doing something right.

"Serena, we'd like to meet your parents," Kiko ordered more than suggested, "Maybe we can meet them tomorrow, or sometime soon, I hope."

"Of course," Serena said brightly; she was thrilled with the thought.

Darien groaned.

"That's rude," Junichiro frowned at his son.

"Oh it doesn't bother me," Serena replied, trying to ease the look on Junichiro's face. "He's always this way."

"No, he's never this way," Kiko contradicted. Her eyes gleamed with something that Serena could not understand, but she knew that Kiko felt there was something significant about what she had just said.

"Can you please not talk about me like I'm not sitting right here?" Darien requested tersely. With his elbows on his knees, he rubbed his face with his hands in a frustrated action.

"And Serena," Darien added moodily, "one more talk about running away from the wedding and I'm telling my parents about you-know-what."

She frowned menacingly. "How long are you going to hold that against me?" Serena queried irritably.

"As long as it takes you to get over your embarrassment," Darien bit out firmly.

It was rather amusing. Her modesty was something he had never encountered before with other woman. Even Rei, his own sister, had never been shy about expressing her sexuality; though he never asked for that information, Rei just liked to talk about everything. Serena alone, was the only woman he knew who could blush with the mere mention of a kiss, and who could immediately cry with mortification with any connotation of sexual intercourse in her presence. And he found that utterly delightful, and down right funny! No, in fact, it was _hilarious_!

"Darien, do not tease Serena," His mother scolded. "Can't you see how red her face is? My goodness, she looks ready to explode."

Kiko's observation did little to help Serena's pride. In fact, her soon-to-be mother in-law had just ripped it to shreds right in front of her face and had stomped on it. Her pride was dead.

"Serena, I here you attend Akita University; how's it doing for you?" Kiko asked conversationally.

"It's doing nothing for me," Serena answered truthfully, feeling the heat drain out of her face (Darien had cast her one last warning look before he turned away).

In surprise, Kikos' brow's raised in elegant arches across her forehead. "Really? Akita is the top university in the country."

"It's also the most arrogant university in the country," Serena replied bitterly.

"I've never heard so much as a complaint—"

"Yeah, well you just heard one," Serena interrupted briskly. Akita was a sour topic to her. She simply _hated_ the school. And it in return _hated_ her.

A most perplex and troubled expression crossed Kiko's face. "I'll talk to the board members about that problem, thank you, Serena," Kiko expressed gratefully.

"You're going to have to quit your jobs."

Junichiro was the one who made that remark.

Surprised by the random turn in topics, Serena's face was a reflection of blank confusion. "Excuse me?" She uttered bewilderedly.

There was a firm set behind Mr. Chiba's eyes as he looked at her. "You've been plastered all across newspapers and magazines for a couple of months now, Ms. Tsukino—"

"Serena," Serena cut in quickly.

Nodding silently in acknowledgement, Junichiro continued, "Serena. Would you not agree that though most of their stories hold lies, even in the ugliest falsehoods are the tiniest of truths?"

Serena nodded.

"Then though I highly doubt that you're an," he coughed here, pausing as if he were trying to collect his thoughts, and then stammered for a moment trying to find the right words, "an _exotic_ dancer and a, um, female _escort_, I do believe that you're working two jobs, am I right?"

Horror struck by the slander to her name, Serena could only stare blankly on the outside, but on the inside raged a violent turbulent storm. She had not bothered to read any articles about herself in the newspapers and magazines; she knew they were all trash. But she had not anticipated such vile accusations against her character from the tabloids. Serena had thought that there was no need for her to concern herself with what the media had to say about her. She had doctors who told her all she needed to know about her injuries, she had the police who told her all she needed to know about the night of the accident, and _she_ knew _herself_ well enough to remember her childhood. The papers wouldn't be able to do anything for her. She was wrong.

Apparently, the tabloids could make her out to be a scandalous street-girl who worked the nights on city corners. That's what they could do for her. They could rewrite her life-story, and she would never know, because she turned a blind eye. She was deeply shocked and hurt by this truth. And once again, Serena could feel the swelling tide of tears build behind her eyes. She was indeed an emotional wreck.

It was that, and because she just couldn't stand to be looked down upon so disgracefully that her sentimental break down was occurring. She had lived her life trying to be perfect, damn it. She was honest, and worked hard; she was kind, and even courteous to the rich! But in turn this was the prize she would receive in the end; this was the greatness she had strived for! She was made to look like a whore! Serena was deeply ashamed.

Darien's voice broke out like angry thunder, with deep reproof in his eyes. "What are you trying to imply?" Like a furious knight storming into a blazing castle guarded by giant fire breathing lizards, he rushed in for her defense.

Sending a scathing look to his son, Junichiro hardly absorbed the harsh set down directed to him. "I have not yet addressed you, Darien," he replied coolly.

"And you need not to for me to speak for my soon-to-be bride," Darien retorted irritably.

"You feel that you must speak in her defense?" Junichiro retorted scornfully. "Has she done something wrong that you feel you must be her shield?"

Darien's jaws clenched. This was why he disliked his father—he was an arrogant son of a bitch. His father was a manipulative creep; he had a way with switching words around to suit his needs, and he was very cunning. That was how he became such a prosperous businessman, with his cold-as-ice personality and insane work habits.

"Stop it," Darien demanded in his deadly calm voice again. His eyes never left his fathers; it was icy blue to icy blue. "Stop this game of yours."

"What game?" Junichiro's forehead crinkled into a frown.

"This game," Darien replied nonchalantly, "Your devious plan to break Serena down, to weaken her confidence. It needs to stop." His last words were uttered in a lethally soft voice.

Junichiro's eyes lowered just a fraction of an inch, but it was enough to change his confused expression into one that of caution. The corner of his lips twitched. He opened to his mouth just a little, but no words came out. And then his wary eyes turned aggressive and fierce.

"Serena has to face reality. She needs to know what life is like for a Chiba. She has to know that she'll be under constant scrutiny in the public; every little action will be analyzed and picked apart until they've come to the conclusion they want, whether it's true or not. And you, Darien, know as well as I do that they won't stop until they've picked apart her image. I'm just telling her what they've publicized to the world."

"And she was supposed to get all of that from your ill choice of words?" Darien's voice never rose above a normal speaking level; but the contempt in his voice spoke louder than his cool calmness.

"Don't you back sass me in front of a guest—ever!" His father hissed like a vehement serpent. His eyes were murderous. "Do you hear me?"

"Loud and clear," Darien bit out through gritted teeth.

From beside Darien, Serena noticed the muscle leaping in the side of his cheek, and she realized he was clenching his jaw; his face taut with the harshness born of raving anger. She was deeply touched with his concern for her feelings. After getting over the initial shock of Mr. Chiba's words, she had shrugged off the painful attack to her pride, and was no longer in need of a knight in shining armor to defend her honor. But it was definitely a pleasant sensation, having her own protector.

She never had one before.

Gathering all her courage, Serena gently slid her hand up over Darien's back and onto his shoulder. When his head turned to look at her, she smiled a slow steady smile. It was a soothing, thankful smile; filled with all the mixed emotions in her. Though it wasn't as radiant or as cheerful as her other carefree teeth-bearing grins; it spoke true of her gratitude. And slowly, under her hand, Serena could feel the tension leave from Darien's shoulder, and the stiffness in his expression softened.

He gave her his own quirky grin—the one she hated, but was falling in love with.

"You two are causing a scene," Kiko admonished, appalled. She looked from her husband to her son. "Have some self-respect and behave."

Something in the way Darien's eyes twinkled at her made her laugh out loud at Mrs. Chiba's words. In her mind she was replaying the make out session she had indulged in with Darien. He was making her crazy. She had never in her life _thought_ about kissing, nonetheless wish _hopefully_ that he would kiss her again. As all of that ran through her head, Serena thought about Darien's parents who were sitting so unsuspectingly across from her, and her shoulders shook with mirth. She was starting to have a dirty mind.

She blamed it on Darien.

"I wasn't expecting you guys to come home for another two weeks."

Darien made that comment. He didn't sound at all happy.

His father gave him one swift hard look and replied, "I wasn't expecting you to botch things up in the media for another two weeks either."

Serena cracked a smile at his sarcastic tone. She couldn't help but compare father to son.

"We came home as soon as we were finished with the work that could not be postponed. When your father and I saw the headlines on _Tokyo Times_ we immediately made plans to come home," Mrs. Chiba explained.

"Yeah," Darien remarked flatly, "you come home two months after the accident."

"We had business," his father answered in the same flippant tone, "We don't have time to come home every single instant you make a mess to clean up after you."

"I wasn't aware that I had made any mess," Darien grounded out through clenched teeth.

A shiver ran up Serena's back. She could feel the hostility from earlier swoop down upon them once again, a dark pall that blanketed the room. Immediately she tensed in response. Guilt seeped through her as the conversation became uglier.

"It was my fault, sir," Serena broke in hastily. She was rubbing her palms up and down her jean clad thighs nervously. "Darien only got involved because of me."

Chiba Junichiro's eyes were the most unnerving set of cobalt blue eyes Serena had ever seen, and when their full force were directed on her, it took all of her courage not to look away and crawl out of the room.

"Darien is man; he is responsible for his own actions. You are not the one to blame for his mistakes."

"And what was his mistake, sir—saving my life? Was that his mistake?"

Serena had no clue where she found the courage to demand such answers from Mr. Chiba. She was baffled, but angry too. And she was doing this out of fear for Darien's behalf. She understood the rift in the relationship between Darien and his parents' now, and she didn't want to be the cause for anymore problems. Her heart went out to him for having to grow up in such a confined, restricted lifestyle.

"Of course not; don't be obscene," Junichiro denied vehemently.

"It was noble of him to save your life," Kiko nodded her approval. "That couldn't possibly have been a mistake; it, in fact, boosted the name of Chiba even higher."

"Is that all you care about?" Serena questioned, unable to keep the disappointment out of her voice and expression.

"It's all that matters in reality, Serena," Darien answered her. His expression was solemn; his tone bleak, flat, unemotional. But there was no conviction in his voice.

Serena looked at him with skeptical eyes; she could not fathom why he would make such a cynical comment. He meant to tell her that she was naïve; she was too silly to understand the way of the world. And though she was not fooled, she was still a little hurt by it.

"Exactly," Junichiro nodded in agreement, "family background, upbringing, and wealth are the only things that really matter in the real world. If you understand that, Serena, you'll fit in quite well in this family."

"You're entitled to that opinion," Serena replied stubbornly, unwilling to bend to their silly belief about the way to live a wholesome life. "And I'm entitled to mine." She stood her ground.

Junichiro looked at her for a long quiet moment, his expression unreadable, as was Darien's, who also watched her for a long while, and then Junichiro nodded. "Right," he relented, "believe what you want."

Serena took his agreement as a small victory and she smiled. "Thank you."

"For what?" Mr. Chiba sounded surly.

"For nothing that's what," Darien replied sharply.

He had been carefully analyzing Serena's face as she spoke, and as he did so, he found himself admiring her courage, her pride, and her strength. Darien had never seen a female stand up to his father the way Serena had before, and that was a tremendous feat for her to make his father agree with her. He almost smiled too at her stubborn pride, and he felt an overwhelming emotion to hug her for her naïve views of the world. She couldn't possibly make him feel any happier, even at this most awkward of moments.

Catching the soft upward pull of Darien's mouth, it was an unmistakable smile that made Serena terribly confused with his attitude. He looked distant and unfeeling, sounded cold and harsh, but yet that small glimpse of a smile that was quickly retracted, contradicted it all. What was he playing at? Serena's mind rushed for answers.

"I hope your trip went well," Darien was making pointless conversation.

"How could it when we had to cut it short to come back home?" Mr. Chiba retorted dryly.

"That's great," Darien ignored his father's statement.

"When are you two going back to London to finish?"

"In two weeks," Mrs. Chiba answered, folding her hands in her lap.

Serena's eyes went wide. "But you can't!" She exclaimed impulsively, and then blushed at the look of surprise on Kiko's face.

Darien's eyes glinted as he looked down at her. "Oh yes they can, Serena," he told her.

Serena was confused. Their wedding was to be held in two weeks! She didn't understand why Darien was withholding that bit of information from his parents—or did they already know?

"Is there something we should know?" Mrs. Chiba asked curiously watching the shared expressions between her son and Serena.

"No—"

"Yes—"

Darien and Serena answered simultaneously.

They glared at each other.

"Which is it?" Mr. Chiba demanded; he was sounding surly again.

Despite Darien's glower, Serena explained, "We've planned the wedding for two weeks from now."

The look that crossed Mrs. Chiba's face was undeniable; she was appalled. And very horrorstricken, Serena decided, observing the way Kiko's mouth dropped slightly ajar.

"That's ridiculous," Mr. Chiba remarked distastefully.

"Absolutely absurd!" Mrs. Chiba stuttered, deciding to add her two cents too as she regained her composure.

Serena could only sigh; she was getting rather tired of the same old reactions to the wedding date from Darien's family. First his sister, now his parents'.

"You will not have the wedding in two weeks; do you hear me, Darien?" Mr. Chiba ordered. "The wedding will take place approximately six months from now at the least, when I can finally clear up all this talk about Serena's background and it will not take place a moment before that."

Watching in stunned disbelief, Serena observed as Darien slowly rose from his seat. Again, as he faced every adversity in life, Darien maintained a calm and aloof disposition as he confronted his father. She had thought that Mr. Chiba's eyes had been unnerving, but they were nothing compared to the striking, explosion of all peace and serenity within Darien's. One look at him and she was ready to keel over unconscious from the power of them. And honestly, she didn't recognize him.

"It's already been decided, father. The wedding is taking place two weeks from today, and neither you nor any greater force on earth can stop it from happening; do you understand _that_?" Darien let those mocking words linger in the air for a minute, and then he turned around, snatched a wide-eyed Serena around the wrist and pulled her up and off the couch, and then dragged her out of the room.

"Hello, can I take your order?"

Zachary waited for the blue-eyed girl to look up at him. A secret smile was on his lips. He couldn't help but feel giddy about his current circumstances.

"Sex on a Beach sounds nice right now," he drawled huskily; never taking his eyes off of her.

Amy's head snapped up from her cash register. Her eyes locked on to the tall, domineering form standing in front of her. Recognizing the man to be Takamura, Amy immediately blushed and looked hastily away.

"I'm sorry, sir, but I'm afraid we don't carry such a beverage here at the _Cup of Tea_. But I'm sure if you try the club across the street, they can help you there," she answered sweetly. Her cheeks flamed even brighter as she took in the name of the alcoholic beverage and the sexual innuendo in his tone.

It was a Saturday afternoon. The sky was a beautiful blue, and the temperature warm. Cherry blossom season was at a start, and everyone was finally putting away the heavy coats, scarves and mittens. Spring was among them, and even the freshness of the springtime air could be detected among the city musk. And yet as the revival of life began it's transformation over the city, she was stuck inside; working a six hour shift.

"Well that's just too bad," Zachary replied disappointedly. "So your name's Amy?" He looked at the brown name tag pinned onto the chest pocket of her dark green apron. Seeing but not really reading. His eyes bore intimately into hers.

She shivered.

"Yes, sir," Amy nodded shyly. "Can I help you?" She tried to shrug off the effect he had on her, all the while maintaining a peaceful disposition.

"I believe you can," Zachary nodded solemnly, piquing the blue-haired girl's curiosity.

"How can I help you, sir?"

Zachary's eyes flashed mischievously; their stormy grey contents smiling at her, captivating her, pulling her in.

Slowly the fair young man leant towards her. His gaze never wavered. They were cheek to cheek by the time he finally stopped his descent, and Amy was sure he could hear her heart pounding erratically. And when the gentle caress of his whisper grazed her ear, the involuntary shudder that ran through her body was inevitable.

"You can start by calling me Zachary."

When he pulled away, a beautiful smile graced her lips. "As you wish," she nodded, her cheeks stained pink.

"Secondly," Zachary added playfully, leaning his elbows onto the marble counter, "When do you get off work?"

"In an hour," Amy replied with a gentle frown across her brow, wondering why he was asking.

"You can also help me by accompanying me to dinner in an hour," Zachary suggested, answering the slight confusion in Amy's eyes.

Wide-eyed and awed by his smooth request for her to go on a date with him, Amy could only stare at him blankly. "You want to take me out?" She asked skeptically.

"Sure," Zachary confirmed, "Why not?"

Never before had she ever been asked out on a date. All her life, Amy had dedicated herself to three things, all in which would surely lead her to success: school, work, and family. And so, this, being her first time, came as a major shock to her. Especially since Zachary was such a handsome man. Her heart beat was pounding loudly, so loud her ears started to hurt, so loud she could hardly hear herself think.

She opened her mouth hesitantly to answer. Then she closed it. She opened her mouth again to answer. It closed once more.

Amy shook her head slowly. "I don't know what to say."

"Say you'll come with me," Zachary prompted lightly, enjoying the display of bafflement that came across her face.

"I'm not sure if tonight's a great night—" she began.

"Tonight's a wonderful night," Zachary interjected.

"Well, I was thinking about visiting Serena, she just came home yesterday, and, well—"

"I'm sure she'll understand," Zachary persuaded; his eyes laughing at her excuses, as she tried to crawl quickly back into her shell like a frightened turtle.

"But—"

"Say, yes."

"Okay, fine—"

"Say, yes," he repeated sternly.

Amy shot him an annoyed look. "Yes," she reiterated flatly.

The blinding white of his teeth glinted at her from his million-dollar smile. "Good answer," he teased.

"Well I'll see you in an hour, I suppose," she replied awkwardly.

She watched as he shook his head. "No," he answered, "If you can get me a cup of coffee I'll be waiting over here for you."

With the air of an elitist, he strode over to a table in the back corner, sat down, and winked playfully over at her.

Amy blushed profusely.

The New York sky was an ominous grey. The rolling clouds morphed together like a patchwork of darkness. Its contents threatening to pour. Thunder crashed somewhere in the distance. Smash. Rip. Roar. And then it echoed into nothing more than a whispered thought in the mind. Then it started all over again. Smash. Rip. Roar.

A dark stretch limousine pulled up along a cracked sidewalk. For a minute it stayed there as it was. Its windows, as bright as night and as clear as fog, remained rolled up in a foreboding fashion. No one could be seen on the inside. And the glass windows only shined blacker as a sinister rain cloud blotted out the sky above it. Thunder crashed. Smash. Rip. Roar.

"Mr. St. James," the driver called over his shoulder, as the little window separating the front from the back of the limousine disappeared into its compartment. "We're here."

Preoccupied with work on his mind, St. James did not stir at the warning. It had been a long day. A weary, long day. It seemed that not much was going right anymore since the incident. That's what he called it now. The "incident". And beyond that, he wasn't going to acknowledge it. In fact, he wasn't even quite sure what the "incident" was. It was all too long ago anyways. Not significant enough to remember, and not insignificant enough to forget.

Business was failing. He was head of a million dollar corporation, and business was failing. He was failing. No, wait. That's not true. It wasn't his fault. She was failing. And because she was failing, she was bringing down the corporation with her. Damn her. Even from her grave she had that control over him. The bitch. He would get her.

"Sir," the driver said again, a little louder this time, "We're here."

St. James heard him and he raised his dismal blue eyes up towards the side windows. Registering the tall Victorian mansion in a stance as solid and unrelenting as the master of the household, St. James pulled his thoughts down from the dark path they had taken. He mentally shook his head. Willing himself to forget—though he couldn't. At least not yet.

Grabbing his briefcase, St. James quickly got out into the abysmal twilight and started for the old St. James mansion. The double doors swung open in a tradition as old as time—dating back to when the St. James were a prominent family of a nation born of Britain and were lord and master over serfs and servants. The grandeur of the mansion was untarnished by time, and the old ways seemed to stay with the house. The upkeep was expensive—St. James paid and provided board for over twenty servants—why he needed twenty, no one was sure of, since he lived alone.

"Good evening, Mr. St. James," a footmen greeted him. The two footmen closed the doors and bolted them.

He had a French chef, and in tow he carried along four assistant cooks. St. James had his breakfast at exactly seven in the morning; when he came home he had his dinner at exactly one hour after his arrival time. His chef prepared him a feast at each meal, and at each meal he touched only one dish. His leftovers were directed by him to be tossed into the garbage.

St. James kept five footmen, all in charge of the tiny detail in maintaining the proper function of a household of the ultrarich. Besides that, he had his personal secretary, a portly man in his mid-fifties who had no one else but himself in the world, move into one of the five guest rooms on the first floor to be at his beck and call. For his horses, he hired two grooms to stay in the stables to care for the beasts. Lastly, he had over ten maids ready at will to clean up whatever mess he desired to make. Not to mention the serving kitchen staff, and his many security guards.

He made many enemies. It was inevitable in his line of work. Head of SJ Corp, Ronald P. St. James was anything but the ordinary entrepreneur. The St. James family had played a tremendous role in U.S history. They were one of the oldest and most prestigious families in America, and for that reason, they were revered. It was not from his own hands that Ronald built his fortune. It was inherited. As was his name, and his fame. Brought up in a world of flashing lights, the glitz and glamour of the elite class was bred into him. It was all he had, and all he knew.

He'd do anything to preserve it. Anything.

A maid in a trim grey uniform scurried into the foyer as her employer stripped off his coat. She hastily stepped forward to take it. He regarded her not once as he stalked down the hallway with his briefcase in hand. The maid, a young new member of the staff, shot a curious glance over her shoulder at his tall retreating form and then moved to the closet to hang his coat. She was used to his stony, superior silence; though it irritated her to no end.

As he came upon the last door of the corridor, St. James entered the room and closed the door firmly behind him. The study was no different in atmosphere as the rest of the house. It was grand in furnishings, grand in color, grand in size, and overall grand in the respect that it made one feel inferior. The plush leather seats, expensive imported rugs, decorative ancient artifacts, and impressive collection of books were all too overwhelming.

His cell phone rang. He hadn't yet sat down when it went off again. After relaxing in his overstuffed high-back black leather chair, did St. James finally reach into his pocket to pull out the contraption to view his missed call. A slight frown pulled itself across his hard features. Settling his briefcase onto the custom-made computer desk with his phone beside it, St. James unlocked the flaps and began retrieving paperwork from within, putting aside the call from his mind for the moment.

He had specifically told his men not to contact him by his cell.

It rang again.

Quivering with fury, St. James placed his paperwork down onto his desk, and snatched up the vibrating phone.

"This better be important," he replied with veiled anger into the other end of the line.

"Sir, we have an emergency." The voice from the other end came like a panic cry for help.

"What is it?" St. James questioned, his frown deepening, his hostility heightening. Unconsciously his grip on the armrest tightened.

"We're under investigation."

The last was rasped in a bare whisper.

* * *

**End Notes:** So, what do you think? Please review to inform me of your opinion. 


	16. Chapter 16

**AN: **Hi everyone! It's been a while, but I'm back and kicking (meaning I'm still alive). I'm a bit rusty at this so I hope I don't disappoint anyone with this chapter. It's a lot shorter than my other chapters but I like it, and I hope you guys will too! If you all haven't been to my profile, I'll let you know that I plan to finish this story soon (hopefully) and I'm really quite excited to be updating new chapters again. Thank you guys for your support throughout this long period of no updates, I'm so grateful for everyone's kind words.

Please review and tell me what you think!

Disclaimer: All rights reserved to Naoko Takeuchi

* * *

Something was very fishy about the way her mom kept tapping her toes. Serena knew that whenever her mother was nervous about something she became very jittery. And right now, she'd classify the fleeting sideways glances and half-hearted smiles as being exceptionally jittery. Observing as her mother took another look at the clock on the opposite wall—the fifth time within the last minute—Serena decided it was the last straw.

"Mom," Serena asked uncertainly, "Is something wrong?" She sat up from her slumped position on the couch and curled forward toward the older woman.

Seated in the living room, the setting sun cast an orange light through the tattered black blinds across the window. The room was set afire by the warm twilight, and elongated shadows were painted against the wooden floors. Silence hung like the humid heat of a summer's day, restless they squirmed irritably in their seats.

Five minutes ago her mother had asked her to sit down. She had something she wanted to discuss with her, and so they had seated themselves in the living room. However, Ilene had not said a word, and instead kept shifting in her seat like a child who had just got caught telling a lie.

Her mother jumped at the sound of her voice. The vacant gaze that had occupied her face immediately disappeared as she turned towards her daughter. "Hold that thought for just a minute, sweetie," she replied edgily, glancing towards the door. "I have to wait for your father to get home first."

Serena's mind instantly jumped to the worst possible conclusions and terror struck her all ready fragile world.

"Oh no," Serena began to whine as she put piece and piece together—the strange tension, the anxious looks, the jumpy reactions—"Mom, did Dad get into trouble again?"

Ilene stared blankly at her daughter.

"The last time you told me you 'needed to talk to me' you got all panicky and tense just like right now, and it turned out you two enrolled me into Akita! Are we in financial trouble again? I told you and Daddy to stop investing money on those products you keep buying on TV in those commercials. They're scams! All they want is your money. I stressed this to you guys months ago! Daddy isn't gambling anymore, is he? Please tell me he did not—"

--"Serena, will you shut up? No, it isn't anything like that at all!" Her mother interrupted, yelling as loud as she could over Serena's shrill antics. Taking a deep breath, Ilene placed her hands on her knees and explained, "There is something your father and I have been waiting to tell you. It's very important, Serena, and we've been meaning to tell you this for years now, but we keep delaying it." Ilene paused uncertainly, and then sighing in defeat, she continued, "Now that you're getting married, your father and I must finally stop circumventing around the truth and tell you what we've been meaning to tell you."

"You're purposely trying to speak in riddles so I won't understand, aren't you?" Serena accused bemusedly at her mother's weird explanation. She slumped down against the back of the couch again, and stared questioningly at her mother. "What are you talking about? What is this thing that is so important that you and Daddy have been meaning to tell me but have been avoiding but now must tell me because I'm going to get married in a week?"

"That thing is something that I can't tell you until your father returns from work," Ilene replied curtly, frowning at her daughter's tone of voice.

Serena didn't press any further, but she did not have to wait long. The doorbell shortly rang after, and then her father walked in through the door. With the same happy-go-lucky bounce in his step, he smiled at them as he took off his coat and threw it over the back of a chair 

along with his briefcase, before walking over to give Serena a pat on the head and his wife a kiss on the cheek. He seemed totally unperturbed by the thick tension in the room.

"What's for dinner?" He asked, sitting down beside Ilene on the couch as he loosened his tie. "I'm starving; I haven't eaten a thing all day."

Silence answered him. From one blank face to the other, he studied the two most important women in his life, and his lopsided smile faltered as the situation dawned on him.

"You two didn't have another argument, did you?" He queried nervously. When neither answered him, he took their silence as affirmation and turned a stern face towards his daughter and scolded, "Serena, I've told you time and time again that when your mother wants you to do something, you better do it for her!"

"Kenji, do you ever listen to me when I'm talking to you?" The irritation in Ilene's voice was not lost to Kenji as he turned to face his wife.

Angry lavender eyes glowered at him. He cringed.

"Why of course I do," he answered quickly.

"Then what did I say to you this morning?" Ilene demanded sharply, crossing her arms across her chest.

Kenji obliged his wife, restating calmly all the things he remembered her saying to him that very morning. "I remember you waking me up this morning," he began to list, "and then you told me that I smelled funny and needed to take a shower and brush my teeth. When I went into the kitchen to grab my coffee before leaving, you said something about wanting me to fix the sink, and that when I got home you would have dinner ready." He stopped and looked over at the kitchen table. "So where's dinner?"

That remark won him slap atop his head. Ilene looked furious at her husband. "Is there anything else you remember me saying to you today, Kenji, perhaps over the phone when I called you during your lunch break?"

Shrinking beneath his wife's blazing eyes, Kenji began to chuckle nervously. "Oh yeah," he nodded, "You said Serena wanted to talk to us about something."

"No, I said that _we_ needed to tell Serena about you-know-what when you got off work today!" Ilene looked ready to throttle her husband. "Kenji, why in the world would you remember me telling you that you smelled funny this morning, and not remember us needing to talk to Serena today? I swear there's something wrong with you!"

Fiddling with the end of his tie, Kenji fidgeted under the onslaught of his wife's tirade. Wanting to laugh yet wanting to scream Serena made a sound caught between a groan and a growl. Either way it got her parent's attention.

"Will you two stop arguing? Just tell me what's wrong. I've been waiting here for fifteen minutes now," Serena commanded impatiently.

A worry had begun to consume her at her mother's earlier words, and now she just wanted to be appeased by hearing what they had to say. Her parents were never very serious, but when they were, they always had something big to tell her. The last time she had heard the "big talk" her parents were in debt up to their necks and had to move them to an apartment on the other side of town because they had decided to spend all their money on Akita's tuition fee so she could attend a good university. She hoped this time their news was not along the same gravity.

Ilene took her daughter's hands in hers. "Serena," she said, looking back at her husband for reassurance before continuing, "You're adopted."

Half an hour later.

"So you guys adopted me in New York?" The bemused expression on Serena's face as she asked this was beyond any other look of awe and confusion. It was absolutely mind-boggling to her that she was adopted after for so long believing that, well, she wasn't. All her memories; there was no orphanage she could recall of, no other parents she could imagine, and most certainly no other life she remembered she had led. It was insane to even suggest such a thing, but her parents, or rather her adopted parents, seemed to be very serious.

Serena felt as though her world was shattered. Again. How many more times now would she have to repair the damages of what was left of the fragments of her peace of mind? First, her parents forced on her the "big move"; she had decided then not to ever forgive them for forcing her to go to Akita University, but time had allowed her hostility to die down. Second, Darien came crashing into her life; with no warnings, no expectations, no plans, and now they were going to be married in about a week's time. (Not to mention all the hell she put up with at school, with Reizei, working two jobs, and simply finding time to hang out with all her new friends). And now this. She was adopted. The news struck her like a twenty pound bowling ball in the face.

Her mind just couldn't grasp it.

Watching the inner turmoil flash across Serena's face, Ilene grabbed hold of her husband's hand for support. She too felt that she was on an emotional ride; pain was the last thing she wanted to cause her daughter, and she was unsure how Serena would react. The matter had been a heavy burden plaguing her mind for some time; she just didn't have it in her to tell it to Serena, not wanting to shatter the all ready strained relationship they had. However, though all her decisions may not have been the most thought-out plans, her daughter's best interests were what were kept in mind through it all.

Ilene began to explain, starting her story from the very beginning, not wanting to leave anything out for Serena. And as she took in a wavering breath, she prepared herself for the journey back in time that she had never thought she would ever need to do.

"I met your father when I was nineteen. We were both in New York at the time; I was a foreign exchange student at NYU, and your father, as you know is American born, also went to college there. We fell in love immediately. Within a year we got married," and as though to look for understanding from her daughter, Ilene added, "You know the rest of the story. We eventually dropped out of school, my family disowned me, and then your father and I moved back to Japan to start a new life together. We had no one. But then you came along. Or at least that's what we told you."

Kenji squeezed his wife's hand reassuringly. "Serena," he said, his voice filled with remorse, "In New York we tried to start a family. It was difficult, I have to admit, going to college and then getting married and then realizing all the effort it took to make a marriage work; but I can't explain to you the devastation we felt when no matter how hard we tried, we simply could not have a child of our own. That truly forces a wedge in a marriage."

Nodding in agreement, Ilene added, "We both were frustrated at the circumstances that made everyday life a struggle, at the cruelty of the world for turning a blind eye to the strength of our love, and at ourselves for the pain that neither of us could heal in the other. Adoption was our only choice. Our one hope."

"It was almost eleven years ago, but I remember walking up the stone steps to the St. Rita's Children Home as though it was yesterday." Ilene's eyes glazed over as she pictured that 

day. She remembered it was a cold morning, and how she had clutched her scarf around her neck as she walked up the stairs—stairs that seemed to never end. She recalled taking Kenji's hand in hers before pressing the ringer by the giant oak doors, and waiting patiently as the door was pulled open by a little blonde girl with big, shimmering blue eyes.

Yes, that was how they met. And it was in that first moment, in that one look that Ilene knew there was something special about that little girl. She was eight years old; small, fragile, and utterly alone in the world.

"Hi, nice to meet you," the little girl smiled with unfaltering charm, "I'm Serena".

It was those words, that short exchange of 'hello', in which corroborated Ilene's basic instincts that Serena was the one. She was the child that Ilene had been wanting, had been missing, and had been looking for all those years. Within the hour the papers were signed, Serena's possessions were packed, and in the car they went. An estranged family of two they had arrived, a hopeful family of three they had left.

"Whether you are our blood daughter or not, we don't feel any different towards you. From the moment I set my eyes on you, Serena, I loved you—just like how any mother would feel when first gazing upon their child."

Serena looked up from her lap hesitantly, as though too scared to do more in fear of another tremendous quake that may just send her spiraling towards doom. Her head was jumbled with too many thoughts, too many questions—she blurted out the one most bothering to her.

"How come I don't remember any of this? I don't remember an orphanage, a past before living here in Japan. It just doesn't make sense."

Ilene gulped, fighting back the tremors that ran through her body. She shifted uncomfortably in her seat, unsure of how to break the news to Serena. It was inevitable.

"The lady running the child home said you were brought into the home a week before the day your father and I had come. You were very strange, she said. You knew your name was Serena but could not recall your own mother's name; and when they asked you if you remembered where you lived, you would start to cry. They then concluded that you must have been extremely traumatized by something from your past, therefore your brain, the part controlling all your stored memory, shut down and crashed."

"And you still wanted me, even after you learned all that?" Serena asked shakily; the truth was very hard to hear.

Ilene and Kenji nodded simultaneously, "Of course."

"They said you appeared to be all right. You were healthy, you played with the other children, you talked a lot, and you loved to eat. The only abnormal thing about you was that you showed to have an extensive vocabulary that kids your age could not retain. And we found that quality endearing," Kenji explained, a soft smile touching his lips as he finished.

Serena sighed heavily. She was trying to take it all in, she was trying to accept all their answers, but none of it made sense to her. The more they revealed of her past, the more questions they, too, unlocked.

Their eyes bore into her. She could see their expectant expressions; feel their desperate plea for her to have faith, to understand and to accept; smell the thick scent of their anxiety; taste the bitter tension against her mouth, at the tip of her tongue; hear the hammering of all three hearts beating erratically in their safe cages inside them. Inside her head the pressure was building, building and building—until a sharp intense pain took its place at the back of her mind. Serena needed air.

"I'm sorry," she apologized, quickly jumping to her feet, "I can't do this right now; I'm going outside." Her parents began to protest, but she would not listen. "Don't worry about me, I'm only going to step out to get some air." She moved quickly, jerkily around the couch, stopping by the dining table to grab her cell phone before opening the door and slamming it shut with a loud hollow bang.

* * *

Outside, Serena stared out at the setting sun. The thin crisp air freezing her exposed skin. She let her mind relinquish itself to her darker thoughts, and down a spiraling plummet she went. Unconsciously, Serena clenched her fist, forgetting that she was holding her phone. Slowly she unclenched her fingers, revealing the shiny, sleek cell phone Darien had bought for her.

It was weird. Never had she owned a cell phone before in her life, and yet it was the first thing that came to her mind to grab when she left the house. She didn't even grab her jacket hanging on the coat rack right beside the door, but for some reason, Serena had remembered the cell phone.

Serena sighed heavily, struggling to choose just what she should do. Her finger caressed the metallic surface of her phone, itching the flip the screen and dial. But dial who? Automatically, she knew the answer.

* * *

Darien was getting out of the shower when his cell phone rang. With not much haste, he padded down the beads of water on his tan, broad chest and tied the towel around his lean, narrow waist. Carefully he dried his foot on the rug lain in front of the shower as he tread over the moist tiled floor to his bedroom.

His phone was on top of his dresser, and he didn't give it much a glance as it rang for the second time when he passed. Grabbing a robe lain out on his king-sized bed, he threw it over his shoulders and walked leisurely back towards the dresser to get some clothes. His phone rang again but he didn't give it a second glance; he was going to let the call go to the answering machine.

Opening his drawers he began to select some items of clothing, his mind off somewhere else while his body was still there, still dealing with the everyday physical world that he was trying to get away from. Quiet. His phone stopped ringing. With a quick shift of his eyes he registered the name of the missed call and went right back on doing his previous task of dressing himself. What a shitty day, he thought to himself, what a—

He froze in mid-thought, did a double take and cursed.

Serena had called him! He quickly grabbed his phone and called her back, trying to slip on a white T shirt over his head at the same time. He cursed vehemently at missing her call, but then calmed himself realizing he was acting like a besotted thirteen year old waiting for a call from his first crush. The call took forever to connect, Darien thought impatiently, and he was soon grounding his teeth with frustration by the time the second ring sounded and still Serena had not picked up her phone. Another second later, he heard the other line answer.

"Hello?" He immediately spoke.

No answer.

"Serena?" He said, this time more persistent.

"Darien?" A soft voice replied brokenly from the other line.

Instantly, Darien's shoulders tensed, and he became alert. "Serena? Is that you? What's wrong?" He couldn't hide the concern in his voice or the vulnerable tremor that reverberated in his throat.

"Darien," she whispered, her voice barely audible, but Darien could make out her pain. "I need you."

It was all she had to say.

* * *

The sun was nearly set by the time they pulled up to the beach house. The purple, pink sky was illuminated with a striking splash of orange in the far horizon out beyond the sea. As Serena opened the car door, the immediate smell of salt and sand attacked her senses. She could hear the rushing of the waves crashing onto the shore as they broke upon jagged rocks along the coastline. Water splashed into the air, she could feel it on her, the moist heavy wind blowing it right to her. It was extremely cold, but it didn't bother her much, it was tolerable.

Beside her she heard the heavy thunk of the car door closing, registered it, but didn't move. She sat in her seat, with door wide open and one foot planted firmly on the ground. And before her, she watched Darien's lean and tall figure become smaller and smaller as he walked out to where the water was barely creeping up towards the sand. He flexed his strong, powerful shoulders, raising his arms high in a stretch, and then she watched as he bent down and removed his shoes. First his right and then his left, and soon they were followed by his socks. In the light of the dawning moon, she saw him wade his foot into the water, kick up mud and then spun around to look at her.

"Come on!" He called, and Serena smiled remembering last time it had been she who had beckoned him to get into the water.

Getting out of the car, Serena walked slowly but steadily towards Darien. And it was in those few minutes that she thought about how much she loved the way his shadow looked cast upon the sand, how much she loved the way his hair shifted in the constant breeze, how much strength he held in his broad shoulders to carry all the burden of the world. But it was more than just that, she realized, and it was more than she could ever admit to herself. Coming up behind him, she threw her arms around his waist and hugged him to her, laying her cheek on his back.

"You're warm," she said, her voice muffled into his shirt, and he felt her rubbing her cheek idly against him.

A soft smile formed at his lips. Firmly he closed his arms over hers and let his fingers entwine with her soft, slender ones. He had never felt this way before in his life, so utterly contented and yet so dissatisfied because he yearned for more, could not have more. Turning his head slightly, he looked back at her and replied light-heartedly, "And who's the one with the jacket?"

Earlier, Darien had given her his jacket when he arrived to pick her up. She had been deeply touched by how he cared; like a true gentleman, he had insisted she wear it even though she denied how cold she was. That alone had brightened her disposition immensely. "Thank you," she whispered fervently, trying to express all she felt in those two little words: grateful, understood, and loved. "Thank you for everything."

"And all I did was give you my jacket," Darien teased, eyes sparkling with humor and something else she could not decipher, something warm and overwhelmingly intense. "If I'd known when I first met you that that'd be all it took to make you docile and thankful, I would've done it."

He laughed when she pinched him. Taking her hands in his he raised them to his lips and kissed her fingers; the touch of his firm and pliant lips against the sensitive skin of her fingers made her shiver with delight and excitement.

"Remember the last time we were here?" It wasn't really a question, he already knew the answer.

When he felt her nod her head against his back, he continued, "It was the day before my birthday."

"Was it?" Serena teased, suppressing a giggle.

"You know it was," Darien growled like a playful panther, and he took one of her hands and gently pulled her around to his front. "I was upset that day," he confessed.

Realizing this was the first time ever that he had opened up to her about his feelings, Serena felt awed and deeply gratified. She was so shaken by his transformation from cold and aloof into the gentle and thoughtful man he was now that she shook with the gravity of it. Serena tilted her head upwards to look him in the face, wondering what brought about this sudden change.

Darien knew it was Serena that had brought about this change in him. He had never, ever, not even with Malcolm, spoken about his feeling so honestly before. With Serena, however, it was hard not to; he had given a good fight at the beginning, but he was succumbing to her now.

"I was in sheer misery, and no matter what I did or who I talked to, I was simply going insane." Darien wrapped his arms around her and pressed her back against his chest, wanting to feel as close to her as he can. "But then I ran into you at the café, and for some reason, you just made me feel better. You made me laugh, Serena, and I had thought that I could never after all the hell I been through that day. Then I brought you here and we made that silly truce you insisted on, and the rest is all history. I haven't thank you for being there when I needed you."

Feeling deeply moved and humbled, Serena was rendered speechless and thoughtless. Had she ever felt so special before, so important? It was his simple "thank you" that was making her heart race right now, his simple "thank you" that was moving her towards tears because he made her feel significant. She squeezed his hand gently to let him know that she heard him, but she couldn't think of what to say. Too scared she might ruin the moment.

"That's why I brought us here again," Darien explained, whispering into her ear as he laid his head on her shoulder, "I don't know why you're upset, but I want you to know that you've got me. I'll do anything to make you feel better."

Serena turned around in his arms, her eyes misty, her hands shaking, and looked him straight in the eyes. Her voice shook with feeling. "You all ready have, Darien," she affirmed with a teary smile, "You've all ready made me feel better."

Darien stared down at her face, noting the tears threatening to fall, but also noticing the sparkle in her eyes, the merry twinkle in their gleam which was caught in the increasing moonlight. "Cry baby," he teased, taking her shaking hands in his and putting them on his chest.

Serena let out a tearful laugh, all the while thinking what in the world did she do to deserve such a good friend. Her face glowed with all the love she felt, hoping beyond hope he understood. But he couldn't though, of course. People can't read minds, and men simply don't understand women. She settled for the dazzling white grin that beamed across his face.

Do it. He told himself. Just kiss her. Kiss her. Do it.

For some reason it was harder for Darien to kiss her now than it was the other times before. He felt scared, vulnerable, as though kissing her was the biggest step he'd ever taken in his life. As though there was some greater commitment he was agreeing to, and he was sealing the deal with the kiss. He fought it, he fought the feelings hard, but in the end he lost. He couldn't help himself or the attraction he felt towards her. And very gently he placed his hand against her cheek, running his thumb slowly back in forth in a soothing manner across her soft, silky skin.

"Serena?" He breathed, his head sweeping down towards her painstakingly slow.

"Yeah," she replied back in the same breathless manner, feeling the excitement of the moment put her senses on overdrive.

"Can I kiss you?" He asked, though his lips were nearly touching hers.

She smiled against his lips, "My opinion never stopped you before," and as she said this, each word was punctuated by the caress of her lips against his.

He laughed as he smothered his lips against hers.

No longer did they feel cold anymore.

* * *

Serena felt a warm hand on her shoulder and she turned to see Darien holding a ceramic mug to her. She smiled her gratitude and took the proffered mug. The smile lingered as she felt the warmth of the cocoa seep through to her fingertips. Inhaling the sweet scent, she sighed contentedly before taking a sip.

In front of the fire, Darien plopped himself down across from her; he was entirely relaxed and he couldn't help but think about the future times when he'd be greeted by that beautiful smile on her face when he came home from work. Would she laugh with him as she did now? Would she ask how his day was, and if he'd answer that it had gone badly, would she offer to cheer him up? Would she act like a real wife?

He mentally shook his head to rid himself of such ridiculous thoughts. Did he dare ask her to give up her independence to be his solicitous slave, bound by marriage? Never. But still, he couldn't help but wish. It was silly really. They were bound by contract; that was all. Their marriage was nothing but a matter of convenience, and would be terminated after their agreed amount of time. Deep inside, however, he was thinking, maybe, just maybe he could convince her to stay with him. Maybe he could offer some other type of concession that would appeal to her.

Money? He could give her all the wealth, luxury and extravagance that she could ever possibly want—but he threw that thought out, knowing that material wealth meant nothing to Serena. He could give her social standing. Being married to him would make her one of the leading ladies in society—wealthy, educated, and beautiful, she could have the world at her feet—he didn't even consider that thought a second longer. Serena didn't care about what other people thought about her. Damn it, Darien cursed to himself, there was nothing he could possibly give her of value besides…besides…happiness. Unspoiled, unadulterated, total and blissful happiness!

It was hard to admit it to himself, but he was becoming attached to the little slip of a girl sitting across from him. His steady gaze set on a heated path from her near flawless, artless face to her regal shoulders down over her slender, pleasing form and finally to her small feet, creamy skin glowing in the fire light. He was racking his brain for ways he could possibly persuade her to stay with him, to persuade her that they could make their marriage work. He wanted it so much to work.

"Darien?" Her voice was a ragged breath. The tearful sorrow expressed in her glazed eyes penetrated him to the very soul, and Darien lurched with something he could only identify as anger, anger at whoever had caused her so much pain. He was seething with rage, just as he was earlier when he found her looking so shattered and heartbroken standing in front of her 

apartment complex, and he was feeling helpless and inadequate not knowing what was troubling her so.

And then she did something that entirely shocked him. His eyes widened as he felt her hand tentatively reach out for his; he could feel her warm fingertips slipping in between his and grasping his hand firmly. The poignancy of that moment, the contact of her skin against his, sent shockwaves of pleasure tingling down his spine, and he fought the urge to pull her to him and crush his lips to hers, vowing to make her forget her pain with the joy of his mouth and body. Instead, he just watched fixedly as she brought his hands to her and brushed her lips softly along his knuckles.

Her eyes shifted from their entwined hands to his intensely darkened eyes, and as blue clashed onto blue, sparks flew like lightning in a storm. A long moment passed and neither spoke.

"You don't know how much it means to me that you're here with me right now," she finally said, regaining a semblance of control over her voice.

"It's nothing," he replied, and he smiled his dashing smile that long ago she would have thought was a cocky grin.

She shook her head, her wet golden tresses loosely shifting over her shoulders. "You don't understand," her ambiguous comment brought a frown to his face.

"Why don't you try me," he challenged lightly, not wanting to be intrusive, but he was concerned, and feeling helpless because he could not ease her pain.

"I'm adopted."

The expression on his face was unreadable. Serena was impressed by the total control he had over his emotions, but she was dying trying to figure out what he was thinking. The orange flickering light cast half his face in darkness, making him look quiet menacing. She set her cocoa above them on the mantle over the fireplace.

"Darien, say something," Serena commanded quietly after a while. He still stared at her with that strangely intense gaze. When he didn't reply she felt her heart plummet and she assumed the worst. "Is my being adopted going to be a problem? I mean, I'll understand if you don't want to marry me anymore, all you have to do is call it off. I know I'm supposed to be helping your image in the media, but now that you know…"

"How long did you know this?"

Serena's stomach clenched at his tone of voice; the harsh coldness of his words slashed her like a sharp blade. Tears threatened to fall, but she told herself she wouldn't let him see her cry.

"Today," she answered, her voice cracking, "Right before I called you, actually. I didn't know what to do, Darien. I was so shocked, so very devastated—the only thing that came to my mind was you. I'm so sorry if I've hurt you but—"

In a blink of an eye Darien had Serena wrapped fiercely in his arms, it was as though he was never going to let go, refusing to let go.

"Stupid girl," he said in a harsh whisper, "I'm marrying you and that's final."

Serena was so touched by his words, that all she could do was cling helplessly him as she cried unspoken fears. Astonishingly, she felt tremors rushing throughout his body, and she wondered if he too somehow was feeling her pain. She was just about to ask him why he was shaking so much, when his next words stunned her speechless.

"Do you think that by lying to me about being adopted you could change my mind?"

And that's when she understood. He wasn't shaking because he was scared for her—no, he was shaking like a worried child, because he feared he was going to lose her. Darien Shields was in fact vulnerable, and he was scared she wasn't going to marry him! That thought was so endearing, so deliciously tempting that Serena burst out into hysterical laughter.

He had thought she was lying to him! If that was all he was scared about, he had a bigger thing coming when his parents would find out the truth for themselves. No doubt they would freak when they learned their son was marrying a girl who was abandoned as a child and then adopted.

Confused, and utterly, lost in the change of mood from the earlier hour, Darien let his arms fall away from her so he could see her laughing, struggling to keep herself up as her shoulder racked violently with mirth.

"What's so funny?" He demanded, grasping her face in his hands so he could steady her merrily sparkling eyes to his.

"You are," she said in between uninhibited guffaws.

"Me?"

Serena nodded. "I was not trying to get out of our marriage, silly," she giggled, her eyes dancing brightly as she gazed into his dark ones.

"You weren't?" He looked forlorn.

"I was telling you the truth! I really am adopted," and with that she broke away from his grasp and steadied herself with one hand against the wall as she collapsed in fits of smothered chortles.

Darien was shocked. And for the first time ever, Serena saw a telltale blush creep across his face as he watched her writhing form. He was embarrassed and, for once, he wasn't able to hide it.

"What were you thinking?" She demanded an explanation when she was finally able to stop her laughter.

He shrugged sheepishly, not able to make eye contact with her. "I don't know," he answered honestly, "I just sort of jumped to conclusions. The wedding is in a week and I thought you were getting cold feet."

"Oh wow," she breathed with a smug smile on her lips, "I tell you the most devastating news I've gotten, the most painful thing that's been eating at me this whole time and you—you thought I was trying to use it to get out of marrying you!"

He remained stonily quiet.

"Why you arrogant, egocentric, cocky—"

He silenced her with a swift caress of his lips against hers. When they parted she was staring dazedly at him.

"Why do you always do that?" She ordered snapping out of her trance.

Darien smiled and leaned towards her, kissing her once more, only this time it was longer, and much more satisfying. "Because I like to," he answered self-assuredly, "And you like it too."

"That's not what I mean," she explained, "You always kiss me whenever I'm talking, as though whatever I have to say is not important."

"It wasn't important," Darien affirmed, this time it was his turn to smile as she glowered at him.

"I was—"

"You called me egocentric, arrogant and cocky—which by the way all mean the same thing, mind you—and I was simply cutting to the chase, getting to the part where we both wanted."

"Listen to you," Serena ranted, "You're so full of yourself."

"I call it confidence," He countered, eyes gleaming mischievously.

"And what do you call your little act earlier?" She raised an inquisitive brow, as she placed her hands upon her hips in a challenge.

Serena watched as he bowed his head contemplatively, and then was stunned by the sheer force of his eyes as he raised them to look at her. "If you're talking about my foolish outburst, I call it a crude attempt at trying to hide my fear of you breaking our engagement. I call it a desperate act of vulnerability," the humble softness of his voice pierced her like nothing she had ever experienced before, leaving her feeling all strange inside like putty.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Darien asked, gently reaching out with his hands to brush back a loose strand of hair that had fallen into her face.

"Why am I looking at you like what?" She sniffled, feeling happy tears brim along her eyelashes.

"Like I'm holding something funny in my hands, I don't know," he suggested flippantly.

She laughed; her heart swelling with joy that he was going to be hers. It didn't matter that he could never love her like a real husband would love his wife. She was content with that; she was willing to settle for less, so long as she had him. Unconsciously she moved towards him, and just before she touched her lips to his, she uttered softly, "You're holding my heart," and then she was kissing him and he was kissing her.

Darien was momentarily stunned by her aggression. He was a passive, but oh so very willing, participant as he felt her open her mouth over his and gently suckle his bottom lip between hers. The sensation was driving him wild, and he thought he was going to die of bliss when he suddenly felt her soft, warm tongue tentatively sneak through her parted lips to trace between his, urging him to open for her. He groaned most agonizingly. Her words lost to him.

He slid his hands across her cheek into her silky tresses as she worked her delicious tongue into his mouth, seeking his. When they met in the moist warmth and entwined and mingled playfully, he decided he could take no more of her teasing and clenched his hands into tight fists in her hair and pulled her closer to him.

Serena's arms immediately sought his chest and slid up towards his neck to grasp the hair at his nape. She was giving all that she had into that kiss, trying to show him all the joy she felt, all the love she felt but could not say. She could feel the newly lit inferno raging through him, could feel the hunger that transformed the kiss. He was slanting his mouth over hers in the most provocative way, thrusting his tongue into her mouth in the old-as-time mating rhythm. Hard, fast, unrelenting. She shuddered from the feelings he was awakening in her, scared yet excited for what lay ahead.

They remained like that; necking and petting like hormonal teens, until their lungs burned for air and their lips were swollen and bruised by their ardent kisses.

One, two, three minutes passed before Darien could trust himself to look at her without thinking about undressing her, and taking her right there in front of the fireplace. His body shook violently by the exertion of his control to stay away from her, and he was amazed that she could do this to him. Make him want her so completely by only a mere kiss, by only a mere whimper, by only a mere sigh. She was driving him mad with lust, and he had never thought about sex so frequently before in his life. Now he thought about it every time she was near.

She had the grace to blush when he finally turned his attention to her. He bit back his chuckle of amusement at her innocent face; she was acting as though she were the seduced rather than the seducer. "What did you say?" He asked.

"I didn't say anything," she replied blankly.

"No," he persisted, "What did you say before you kissed me."

"Oh, that," Serena smiled innocently, "I forgot."

But she had not forgotten. She had said he held her heart—and he did. He simply need not know.

Content with her answer, Darien got up and collected their mugs they had left on the mantle and brought them to the kitchen.

* * *

**End Note: **I'm going crazy wondering: what do you think? Thanks for taking the time to read, I appreciate your time and know that it's certainly valuable! Please review if you can.


	17. Chapter 17

**AN:** This was the busiest summer of my life. I deeply apologize for not updating as I promised I would, but little did I plan that this summer I would be living with my Grandparents for most of my vacation, babysitting, job-hunting, and helping to prepare my aunt's wedding. This summer was a summer of many Firsts. I got my driver's license, I learned how to fill out a job application, I got hired for a job, I did a great many things that I'm pretty sure you guys probably wouldn't care about...but it's been the best summer of my life...the only thing I regret is that I didn't have the time to write more for LSFT.

So here we go, my break will be over in two days and now I've finally finished the next chapter. I know it's not as deep as my other chapters, but understand that due to the strain of many other aspects of my life at the moment, it's the best I can do for now. I hope you enjoy.

Please review and let me know what you think.

* * *

"Sloan?"

The brunette smiled and waved. Dressed in an oversized 'I LOVE NEW YORK' sweatshirt and loose fitting, worn jeans, she exuded an American girl charm, making her stand out like a nail in a box of screws. In a sea of Japanese citizens, she was unmistakably a foreigner.

"Hey Jack," she greeted, her face absolutely ecstatic.

Stunned by the sight of her, Jack stood rooted to his spot. "What are you doing here?" His baffled amazement made her laugh.

Slinging a black duffle bag over her shoulders, she sauntered on over to him. Her brown eyes sparkling.

"Hey, you loser," she jeered., "Is that all you have to say to me when I've just flown thousands of miles last night to come and help you?"

* * *

Jack locked the door a soon as they got into his office.

"Sloan!" Mitch greeted; shocked and happy to see their American friend. He stood up, throwing the magazine he had been reading onto the couch. "What are you doing here? It's great to see you!"

Sloan walked into his open arms and gave him a friendly hug. "Why thank you Mitch, at least one of you is happy to see me," she remarked dryly, stepping out of his embrace. Over her shoulder she glared at Jack. He didn't look too concerned as he walked over to sit behind his desk.

"Don't mind Jack; he's always cranky," Mitch assured her. "So, what brings you to Japan?"

"Business," she replied; a playful glint to her eyes.

"She's got an update on the Tsukino Usagi story," Jack explained, seeing Mitch's obvious confusion.

Mitch groaned. "Jack I thought we all ready discussed this. We haven't got anything on the Tsukino Usagi case. I thought we had given up on that." It was clear he was immensely irritated as he turned to frown at Jack.

"We weren't really giving up, Mitch," Jack, who didn't look at all bothered by the frustrated tone of his friend, clarified calmly, "I call it—uh—taking a _break_."

"I call it," Mitch retorted snappily, "you're _obsessive_."

"That works too," Jack nodded in agreement, and then looked to Sloan, who was silently observing his office.

"You like?"

She was startled at his amused voice. He had caught her examining his office. "Nice," she drawled out appraisingly, taking another sweeping look around the room for effect. "I see why you came all this way to Japan just to do the same job you were doing in the States. You get your own furnished office."

Jack smiled; she sounded a little bitter, but he didn't think much of it. "It definitely has its benefits."

Mitch was grumbling to himself on the couch; staring daggers at his two companions. "Did either of you think to clue me in?" He sounded very annoyed.

Dropping her duffle bag to the floor, Sloan sank down onto the couch beside Mitch. "Sorry, Mitch," she said, her face apologetic. "I thought you knew. I'm surprised bozo, over there, didn't say anything to you."

"Right," Mitch bit out sarcastically, "We have such a great partnership; he wouldn't think of leaving me in the dark about all his scheming. Say, did you two plan this?" He asked, indicating towards her bag on the floor.

Jack answered. "No, we didn't. Trust me when I say I was just as surprised to see her standing in the lobby."

Sloan unconsciously pressed herself back into the cushions of the couch as the full force of both men's wary stare settled on her. In her defense she shouted, "What?"

"What are you doing here, Sloan?" Jack demanded.

Expelling a nervous breath, Sloan closed her eyes for a second; hoping to gain enough strength to tell her news. "You're right Jack," she nodded solemnly, "You were absolutely right. There is a connection between Tsukino Usagi and Serena St. James."

Mitch looked doubtful, while Jack smiled smugly.

"Okay, let's hear it," Jack prodded.

Sloan continued. "SJ Corps is being investigated; it's supposed to be a big secret, but it's being whispered all over Wall Street."

"You mean SJ Corps, as in the family owned and operated business corporation of the St. James?" Mitch asked incredulously.

"They very one," Sloan affirmed. She turned to look at Jack to see how he was handling her bit of news, and saw that a concentrated frown furrowed his brows; her silence made him look up. He nodded to her to go on with her story.

"SJ Corps is being investigated under suspicions of unlawful activity. Like for one," she listed, "the embezzlement of money."

"No way," Mitch couldn't contain his excitement, "Aren't the St. James supposed to have a pristine image? I mean, no one could possibly be as clean and square as their family. Oh, man, and now we find out after all these years that the family has a secret!"

"I wouldn't say it like that," Sloan rebuffed, "The family, if you noticed, is all dead. Ronald St. James is the only one left running all the business ventures. It is he who has blemished the family name. In fact," Sloan added with a twisted smile, "Ronald was always the odd one in the family."

"I think I heard something about that," Jack replied, "It was on one of those celebrity bios shows. You know, where they take someone who's in the spot light a lot and they do a short documentary of how they came to fame."

"His great grandfather founded the company way back in the nineteenth century; he was even tied to the Revolution. At that time the company was small, dealing mainly with the wealthy merchants in New York. Their grandfather then took over the company and expanded it along the east coast, which was a great feat. Afterwards, their father ran the company until he passed it down to his older son, Charles, Ronald's brother, and became a New York senator. Charles ran the family business, adding greater wealth and acquisitions to the company all over the world, and in less than a few years too. Then he died. Ronald had a lot to live up to in his youth, and reportedly, his rich background allowed him to party and mix with the celebrity night life in New York. He did drugs, alcohol, fights—everything, anything—you name it, he did it."

Mitch was fascinated. "How did he turn directions, you know, and become runner up for the family business?"

"Supposedly, Charles had to straighten him out. By then, the family had about given up on Ronald; the AA wasn't working, the rehab was futile, even jail time was nothing to Ronald. Charles went down to the local police station one morning, after he found out his brother had been charged with his second DUI, bailed him out, and, as the story goes, begged his brother, on his knees, to change his ways. You see, Charles was about to get married, and he didn't want his wife to be embarrassed by their poor relation."

"And that's it?" Mitch was on tenterhooks. "He reformed his ways all because his brother begged him to be good?"

"Well apparently he hasn't changed his ways at all," Jack remarked snidely, "It seems to me that Ronald was only biding his time—now he's into larger scale crimes."

"Wow," Mitch breathed, "What were the chances that his brother would drop dead and hand him the entire SJ Corps Empire?"

"About zero to a million," Sloan answered; her face now intense. "Charles was as healthy as a horse. He was athletic, he was a nutritious nut, he had a balanced social life—really, he was quite good looking too, but…one day his wife tried to wake him up and…he just wouldn't. The autopsy said that he had cerebral aneurysm, which ruptured in the night, and left him brain dead in the morning. But for months on after his funeral, there were whispered stories that his wife had poisoned him."

"Ah, let me guess," Mitch said, intrigued, "She was a greedy, cheating gold digger who wanted her husband dead so she could get her millions and run off with her lover?"

Jack snorted derisively, leaning back in his computer chair. "Stick to your day job, Mitch, you'd make a terrible sleuth."

Sloan chortled too. "You couldn't be more wrong, Mitch."

"Hey, I'm just a regular cameraman—you two are the ones who do all the research, remember?" Mitch held up his hands in his defense.

"Charles and Serenity were passionately in love, and as you know had a daughter, Serena. A few months after Charles' death, Serenity followed. Suicide. At least that's what the police report says. Unable to bear the loss of her husband any longer, Serenity overdosed on some medication her doctor had given her to help her depression."

"This sounds like a real-life Shakespearean tragedy, I tell you," Mitch moaned.

"It gets worse," Jack continued. "Serena St. James goes missing. After years of searching, all possible leads coming up to nothing, she is pronounced dead."

"Whoa," Mitch sighed heavily, "All those deaths within such a short amount of time. What a coincidence."

"Oh, you think so?" Sloan raised an inquisitive brow. "It seems that's what someone, whoever is trying to cover up the tracks, wants us to believe."

Jack nodded, and then straightened in his chair. "That's exactly my—" Suddenly it clicked in Jacks head. _Of course_! He mentally kicked himself; it was that _obvious_!

"It's Ronald St. James," Jack deduced, his face becoming as white as a ghost. "He's behind all the murders! And now he's starting it all over again; he's the one behind the attempted murder of Tsukino Usagi! It makes sense. Why is he going after Tsukino Usagi? Because she's his missing niece! She's Serena St. James!"

"Exactly," Sloan nodded enthusiastically, bouncing in her seat excitedly. "That's exactly what I came here to tell you!" She was clapping her hands ecstatically.

Jack bounded from his seat from behind the desk and walked over to Sloan. He pulled her to her feet, and she, willingly, let him wrap his arms around her, lifting her up and spun her around the room. She laughed. They celebrated their break through.

"Have I told you how glad I am to see you?" Jack said to her fiercely, with great emotion.

"No," Sloan squealed as he set her down. "But I sure do like the sound of it."

In the midst of their happy cheer, a soft cough drew their attention. Sloan and Jack turned towards Mitch. He didn't look like he wanted to join in their enthusiasm.

"Look," Mitch said; his tone doubtful, "I don't want to rain on your guys' parade, but…your deductions are absolutely ludicrous. We have no evidence, none at all, to support your claims. I mean, I understand what you guys are saying. It _does_ make sense. But to someone else, let's say the police, we have absolutely no case! I think it only makes sense to us because we're looking for answers, trying so hard to find truth, in where there isn't any!"

"In other words, you're saying, everything we've just summed up is an illusion we've created to pacify our hunger to solve the Tsukino case," Jack summarized scathingly; he folded his arms across his chest. The expression he gave Mitch was unnerving, but his partner didn't back down.

Mitch nodded. "How do you connect one event in Japan, with three others, which happened almost a decade ago, in America? How do you claim an American heiress, who's gone missing almost ten years ago, is still alive, and is now a Japanese citizen under a new identity?"

"Do you see how preposterous that sounds?" Mitch implored them to see the truth of his arguments.

Neither Jack nor Sloan were impressed.

"Well then, how do you explain that Tsukino and St. James look so strikingly similar?" Jack demanded.

"I don't know, Jack," Mitch said with grim humor, shaking his head. "I really don't know."

Just then a cell phone went off. All three of them reached for their pockets to check if it was theirs. Sloan smiled sheepishly as she pulled hers out; vibrating and flashing in her hand.

"Hello?"

Her eyes flashed.

"Yes. Are you sure?" She slightly shifted in her seat as she noticed the quizzical expressions in both Mitch and Jacks eyes as she continued to talk into the phone.

"What source did you get this from?" Immediately she was skeptical.

"Okay. Great. Thanks."

As soon as she got off the phone, she turned sparkling mischievous eyes on the two men watching her.

"Guys…" she cooed in a sing-song voice, "If it's evidence you want, its evidence we'll get."

"Okay what is it now?" Mitch took the bait.

"Nine O'clock reservations for six at the Moonlight night club in central downtown Tokyo. Tsukino Usagi's bachelorette party," she added the last part in an offhanded way.

* * *

"Cheers!"

The clinking of crystal champagne glasses was drowned by the heavy bass of the music blasting from the club sound system. Happy giggles slipped from lips loosened by the consumption of alcohol; not one girl of the party of six seemed to be worried about the increasing commotion coming from below them on the crowded dance floor. Instead, six merry faces, red with excitement and the ten shots of the expensive imported liquor, gleaming with a sheen of sweat from the muggy atmosphere of the club, were in complete oblivion to everything but the bride-to-be dancing atop their table in five inch stiletto heels.

"Oh, my gosh, Serena you're crazy!" Mina exclaimed; her tone was definitely not disapproving as she watched her leggy, blonde friend sway above them.

"Come on, get up here, I know you all want to," Serena shouted above the music; her suggestive smile was all too persuasive.

Not even within a minute of her invitation, Mina, Lita, Amy, Rei and Molly were up dancing beside her on the glass table. It was definitely going to be a bachelorette party to remember—that was "if" they remembered.

Night clubs were nothing new to Serena. In her early teen years, she had given in to partying with fake IDs, and over time her thirst for the night life had been quenched. As she got older, she wasn't into the same reckless entertainment she indulged in as a fifteen/sixteen year old. No more nights out on the town looking for trouble—a fight, anything she could take out her anger and frustration on. It had been a while since she could remember going out like this—just her and some girls looking for fun. She sure wouldn't miss it.

It was weird. Dancing had always been a type of escape for her—away from her parents, away from her peers, away from her work, and away from her not-too-certain-future. It took her to unparalleled heights, in which she couldn't get from drugs or alcohol, and she loved it. This was her freedom. But something changed.

She changed.

It was becoming clearer to her as the night drew on. Sure, she was having a blast, but for some reason, Serena felt as though she'd rather be somewhere else. She'd rather be with someone else. Darien. Her mind drew up a vivid picture of him. His slanted wayward smile made her heart race. This was crazy. He wasn't even there and yet the mere thought of him could make her knees go weak.

Yes, Darien was the reason for her change. He brought to her stability. He filled the empty void she had, unconsciously, always been trying to fill. He was now her escape from a pain-filled world. She didn't need this anymore. Never. She would never be returning to her old ways—her rebellious youth.

What she wanted—no—what she need was Darien.

Serena almost laughed at that realization. My, oh my. He was becoming very important to her. And that, she decided, was not good at all. She was very close to being in love with him. Very, very close.

Just then she felt something hit her on the back of her head.

"What was that?" She reached out and touched the spot on her head where she had felt the contact.

The quick flashes of the strobe lights blinded her, and she reeled dizzily on the table top as she stopped dancing. It took only a few seconds before the other girls noticed that she was no longer moving to the music, and they too quickly stopped; their confusion evident on their faces. They looked around.

"What's wrong, Serena?" Lita asked; her eyes quickly scanned their private quarters; a large platform looming over the dance floor down below. She was quickly on the defensive with her hands clenched and ready for battle at her sides.

Serena shook her head. "Nothing life threatening, Lita," she assured her tall friend. Outside the club, they had been bombarded by paparazzi, and unprepared for their aggressiveness, Serena had been knocked over by an overexcited photographer. From that point on, Lita had immediately taken on the roll as bodyguard, and had not taken down her defenses.

Lita shot her an unconvinced glare and again scanned the second floor with her blazing emerald eyes.

Serena laced her fingers through her hair where she had felt something touch her. Nothing.

"Hey!" Molly all of a sudden exclaimed. Five curious eyes watched her as she bent down and grabbed a wad of paper from the table top. "What's this?" She handed it to Serena, who looked at the ball of crumpled paper with a mixture of skepticism and bewilderment.

With shaking hands she smoothed the paper out and stretched it open. "It's a note," she said as she studied the paper.

"What's it say?" Mina demanded, moving to look over Serena's shoulders. All the girls shuffled closer.

"I can't read it. It's too dark."

"Here." Amy took out her cell phone and held it over the paper. Everyone groaned as the bright light of the cell phone hit their eyes. The blue haired girl smiled sheepishly. "Sorry."

"Dance with me?" Rei scoffed aloud, reading the note. "Look down. I'm wearing an 'I LOVE New York' sweatshirt—Ew," she peered over the railing searching for the person who threw the note. "Who the hell would dare to do something so desperate?"

Lita nodded her agreement. "Damn right," she continued in the same scathing voice as Rei. "People these days have no respect for other people's privacy."

Molly giggled and nodded too. Then she pointed to someone in the crowd below. "But he's pretty cute."

The heavy clunking of five pairs of high heels on glass thundered over the music as all the girls headed for the railing to see exactly who Molly was referring to.

"Oh, my gosh," Mina squealed excitedly, the only thing stopping her from falling to the dance floor was the metal bars, "He's a hottie. Definitely has the American-boy look to him—only more masculine."

"Well?" Mina turned expectantly to Serena, who stood flabbergasted beside her. "Are you gonna go down there and dance with him?"

Rei gasped in outrage, her hand gripping Mina's arm to pull her attention towards her. "You can't possibly mean to tell her to go down there and dance with that desperate prick, can you?"

Mina shrugged with a feigned air of innocence. "What? He is majorly good looking." When Rei continued to stare at her in disbelief, Mina sighed. "Come on, Rei. It's Serena's bachelorette party—the girl _should_ be dancing with hot men."

"He threw a frickin' paper at her head, Mina!" Rei yelled in outrage.

"So, what?"

"So he can go jump off a—Serena? Serena, where are you going?" Rei shouted after her.

Serena threw them a bright smile over her shoulder. "If he's so desperate to dance with me, why not give him a chance?" With a careless shrug of her slim, exposed shoulders, she crossed the floor to the stairs and began the descent to the dance floor.

Molly stared in wide-eyed disbelief. "Is she crazy?"

"That question is still being debated," Lita answered.

Amy, who was watching Serena from the railing, motioned for the girls to join her with a wave of her hand. "You can make out her tiara," she pointed at the glittering pearl and diamond encrusted crown making its way in and out of the dancing bodies.

They all rushed over to watch.

* * *

"Darien, don't!"

Swinging his arm free of Malcolm's restraining grasp, Darien continued to stalk forward. Like a panther after its prey, he walked with unerring determination; the muscles in his shoulders tense, the unwavering glare of his blue eyes lethal.

"Guys, a little help here," Malcolm sighed harshly; exhausted by his failed attempts to waylay their dark haired friend. He looked at the four other men, who were lounging in their corner booth, contemplating the scene before them with amusement. "I'm not fucking around," Malcolm growled authoritatively. "Stop him before he ruins everything."

Annoyed dread flashed across Andrew, Nathan, Zachary and James' face as they shifted in their seats.

They weren't moving fast enough for Malcolm's like, and so he barked, "Now!"

As they filed on past him, they all shot him looks of indignation.

"Hey, it's not our fault, Malcolm," Andrew grumbled, "Who was it who suggested we do this in the first place? You were the one who said 'Yeah, we should sneak out and follow the girls secretly—just to see what they're doing'. Darien didn't want to go; he was perfectly fine staying in at the mansion, but you insisted. You poked and prodded until he agreed. Now this happens, and you're scared he might blow our cover—thanks man, this is going to be one hell of a night. You know how he'll be if we interfere."

"Shut up, Andrew," Malcolm retorted, his eyes scanning the crowded dance floor for a sign of their tall dark haired friend. When he saw no sign of him, he turned his attention back to Andrew. "It's either we get Darien mad, or Mina. You pick—which one will do more damage?"

Andrew cringed visibly; in the flashing strobe light he was quivering like the scared cat that he was. "If Mina finds out, Malcolm, I'm gonna have your balls for this."

"She won't find out if you stop Darien before he breaks the neck of that guy dancing with Serena."

"Ah, damn it," Andrew cursed as he maneuvered passed Malcolm into the sea of swaying bodies to look for Darien.

It was just a dance. It was just a harmless dance, he told himself. He had nearly convinced himself too, until he saw where the hands of Serena's dance partner were headed. Angled low against her waist, Darien watched as the kid's hands glided lower until they were nearly grasping Serena's buttocks through the thin layer of her black strapless dress.

Irrational anger rose in him like no fury he had ever felt before. And it turned into a blazing inferno burning out of control, engulfing him in the flames of jealousy. His eyes lowered to a dagger-like sharpness, his hands crumpled into tight fists; shaking with an uncontrollable rage.

He didn't know what was happening to him. He was usually a levelheaded guy. It was the way he was brought up: to show great restraint and endless patience. But as he stood there, watching another man touch his woman, his Serena—everything he had been taught went quickly out the window. He felt like one of those monsters in movies they showed on TV, where a calm, rational, normal guy would all of a sudden transform into an ugly, powerful beast when unable to control overwhelming anger. That was exactly what he was becoming: an angry, jealous beast. Or husband—whichever one was worst.

Did he just call Serena 'his' Serena, too? Really, what was happening to him? She was in no way 'his' and he definitely did not deserve her. He couldn't help it though. A marriage in name only was going to kill him. Maybe he just had a protective urge to defend her from lustful guys because she had come to be like a sister to him?

Images of him thrusting his tongue into her mouth to taste her savory sweetness quickly banished all thoughts of his, supposed, brotherly love for Serena. Okay, so _he _found Serena attractive—a vast understatement, he knew. He was sure his eyes had never seen anything more beautiful than her tonight. In a satin black, bubble dress, her long slender legs were accentuated by the puffy folds of her skirt, and her creamy, perfect skin glowed irresistibly against the dark fabric. Like an enchanting Queen of the Night, with her "Bride" tiara (which he had personally made sure each pearl and diamond placed into the design were the finest) sitting atop her regal golden head, he couldn't have felt more proud at the sight of her, for she was going to be his.

Ah hell, they had agreed to a marriage in name only. He had no right to be jealous, or to feel angry. But he couldn't help it. Seeing her being so intimate with another man was driving him crazy. He couldn't let this go any farther.

Darien took a step towards the dancing couple.

"Hold it right there, my friend," Zachary's amused voice halted him. "I suggest you think before you do anything you regret."

In a matter of seconds he was surrounded on all sides by his friends. Their expressions were somber; their stances solid, as though ready to do battle. Darien was not at all deterred.

"Get out of my way," Darien ordered; he looked murderous.

They shook their heads.

James was the first to speak, "This is her bachelorette party, Darien," he reasoned, "What did you expect—a tea party and cucumber sandwiches?"

"Maybe," Darien bit out through clenched teeth.

"Well that's not what happens at one of these things; so understand that whatever she does tonight is just innocent fun and step back and watch."

"That's out of the question."

"You're being extremely possessive," Malcolm drawled.

"So what if I am? I can't just sit back and watch while some teenage boy thinks he can grope my fiancé."

"Hey, at least she's not so drunk that she's slipped off to a hotel with him for a night of fucking." Andrew shrugged, trying to pacify Darien's anger.

Five pairs of eyes leveled on Andrew darkly.

"Sorry," Andrew immediately apologized.

"Just let it go, Darien," Malcolm pleaded.

"Fine," Darien relented, but he was far from letting it go just yet. "I won't do anything to hurt the guy, okay?" Shrugging off the vile jealous beast that had come to possess him, he made an about turn and began walking in the opposite direction.

Suspicious, Malcolm cocked his head in Darien's direction as a signal to follow their dark haired friend.

"Are you sure you'll be fine?" James asked as they all slipped back into their booth in the corner.

Darien was already there, sipping his cocktail. "I think I've got everything under control now."

"Whew," Malcolm breathed in relief, "Look, Darien I'm sorry for dragging you out to this."

"Don't worry about it, I overreacted," he said with another sip of his drink. Setting down his cup he began to excuse himself. "I'm going to the restroom."

Malcolm eyed him cautiously as he disappeared down the crowed hall into the lobby. He knew that cool civility. He knew that thin-lipped, humorless smile. Darien had tremendous self-control, but there was no doubt in Malcolm's mind that whenever Darien became uncannily calm and docile, it was all a façade to hide his real burgeoning fury.

"Follow him," Malcolm ordered.

Andrew stood and prepared to pursue.

As soon as Darien rounded the corner into the lobby, his eyes scanned for a place to hide. There was no doubt in his mind that at least one of the guys would follow him to make sure he didn't get into any trouble. Seeing no secure hiding places, he threw himself against the wall, oblivious to the curious stares the night clubbers were giving him. Andrew came wheeling around the corner just as Darien had suspected. And as his blonde friend headed straight for the men's restroom, Darien lunged away from the wall and quickly strode towards the entrance on the opposite side of the lobby to the dance floor.

In his haste, he nearly stumbled over his own two feet when from out of the corners of his eyes he saw two dummies dressed up as a couple from the eighteen century European society: a woman dressed in a full length white gown and a man adorning a white mask and a tuxedo.

Immediately an idea began to formulate in his head.

Darien snatched the jewel-crusted mask and slipped it on.

* * *

"Let go of her."

Serena tensed at the masculine voice. The accented Japanese sounded funny to her, but strangely relieving as well. Turning around she almost rammed nose first into the man wearing the "I Love New York" T-shirt.

"Oh," she gasped in surprise, at the same time feeling the greedy hands of the teenager, who had jumped in front of her and began dancing up against her, pulling her back.

"I don't think she wants to dance with you." The American man scowled disapprovingly. And Serena smiled, relieved, as he reached out and placed a firm hand on her arm, drawing her away from the teen.

"Hey, I saw her first!" The kid insisted angrily.

"Don't make me call for security," the tall American stranger threatened.

With defeated anger, the teenager heaved his chest in great display and then turned away without another word.

"Thanks," Serena sighed. She finally was able to smile easily as she shifted her gaze from his pale throat to his handsome face. "My name's Usagi."

Jack was mesmerized by her lovely sparkling eyes. "Jack," he replied; strangely aware of how close she was pressed up against him.

"Hi Jack," Serena greeted, her smile now teasing. "I believe you wanted to dance with me."

Her good humor proved infectious; Jack laughed. "I believe you're right," he said; sliding his hands down her smooth arms. He planned to let her go, but was surprised when she snatched his hands in hers and pulled him close.

"Let's go," she beckoned him with her bright eyes, cocking her head towards the dense crowd.

"In there?" He teased; unable to focus his mind. He was supposed to be getting information from her. "It looks dangerous."

"Out here then?" She replied, and before he could answer, she raised his hands in the air, twirled around and had effectively wrapped his arms around her slim upper body. Her hips swayed back and forth to the music, and with her back to his chest, Jack fitted his body to her buttocks and swayed with her.

"How old are you Jack?" She asked. He could barely hear her above the pounding music.

"Twenty-five."

"Do you live in Japan?"

"Yes."

"What do you do?"

"I'm a writer."

"Oh really?" Her curiosity was piqued. "Do you write poetry and stories?"

Jack vaguely was aware that instead of _him_ asking her the questions, _she_ was doing the interrogation. Irritated with himself for falling so quickly to her charms, he thought to distract her as he trailed a finger along the curve of her neck down her shoulder to her arm.

"Sometimes," he answered, "Most of the time I like to write about people."

Imperceptibly, he felt her shift away from him. "Is something wrong?"

She spun around in his arms and placed her hands on his chest; her smile captivating. "Oh no," she replied, a hint of laughter in her eyes. "I'm ticklish, you see, and when you touched my neck I kind of—" She broke off her explanation and laughed to prove her point.

Jack felt like a total invalid—he couldn't do anything right in her presence. What he had hoped she would find sexy and seductive, she found funny and unpleasant. He usually considered himself a lady's man, but Usagi appeared to be immune to his charms.

"Sorry," he uttered dumbly. They danced in silence for a while; he was gathering all his wits to face her, and to shield his sanity from her distracting face.

"How about you?" He inquired. "Have you always lived in Japan?"

She tensed slightly in his arms. Bingo, he thought.

"Excuse me?" Serena asked; her voice shook a little.

Jack repeated his question.

"Yes, I have," she lied.

Disappointed, but knowing that he could not know if she was telling him the whole truth, he persisted. "Oh really? Are your parent's Caucasian? You don't look Japanese."

She stopped dancing, and he felt slightly squeamish under her intense, discouraging gaze.

"My parents are both Japanese; why do you ask?"

"Er—Just wondering. You have an exotic beauty to your facial features," he lied lamely.

"Oh," she murmured, "Thank you."

"Have you ever been to the States?"

"No," she answered. "But I would love to visit someday. Are you from New York?" She asked looking down at his grey sweatshirt.

How odd, she thought, but didn't question his choice of clothes.

"Um, yes, I am. Great city, it is. Similar to Tokyo."

"Yes, I would imagine so," Serena agreed.

Their conversation was heading nowhere, Jack realized in despair. She was evading all his questions—or was she? Maybe Mitch had been right. Maybe there was no connection between St. James and Tsukino—maybe it was all wishful thinking on his part.

No.

There wasn't something convincing in Usagi's answers. She seemed to tense and pull away mentally from his prodding questions.

"I once knew a girl who looked like you in New York."

Serena nearly stopped breathing when she heard his words. A girl who looked like her? In New York? No, she gave herself a mental shake, it couldn't be. He couldn't have known her when she was living in New York. And she didn't look the same anymore; he couldn't have guessed that she was that girl in New York by just looking at her.

Her heart raced.

"Excuse me?"

Jack felt as though he had just struck gold. Her face turned ghostly white.

"Her name was Serena, Serena St. James."

No air. She could not breathe. Drowning. She was all of a sudden ten thousand leagues beneath the sea, with the pressure crushing her lungs, impairing her thought. No air.

"My name is Serena." Her voice was a faint whisper. "How did you know?" She was shaking; the spasms taking control of her body. They had stopped dancing, and were standing like statues in the middle of the crowded dance floor.

"How did you know that was my name?" Serena demanded. She was becoming hysterical. All she could process in her head was: He knew. He knew her! He was from New York and he said he knew someone who looked like her! Didn't her mom say that they had adopted her from New York? Didn't her mom say that the orphanage had said that her name was Serena?

This man knew her! Somehow, someway, he knew her!

Jack stared very levelly at her; trying to discern her frantic change of disposition. "Okay, look," he began to clarify, "I'm currently researching into the disappearance of Serena St. James, and I think that you could be her, Usagi Tsukino; you can be the missing heiress."

"You're crazy," she let out a horrified gasp.

"Please, listen to me," Jack beseeched desperately, reaching out a hand to stop her from running away, which was what she was slowly preparing to do. "I have reasonable clues that suggest you are Serena St. James. All I want is your cooperation—your answers may corroborate my theory, and you can find out about your past. Don't you want to know?" His eyes narrowed as he watched the fear flash in her eyes. "Or are you hiding something? Are you Serena? Are you the St. James heiress?"

She was speechless. "I…I don't—"

"Can I cut in?"

Serena and Jack jumped; startled by the tall masked man who materialized in front of them.

"We are in the middle of a discussion—"

"Yes," Serena consented. She didn't dare look to see how Jack reacted. "Yes, you can."

She felt strong warm hands wrap around her shoulders, and before she knew it she was being pulled into the wild throng in the center of the dance floor.

"Is something the matter?"

Lifting her gaze from the buttons of his shirt, Serena studied the tanned column of the man's throat, to his familiarly square cut jaw, and beautiful face. Her cheeks immediately began to fill with blood again as she flushed. And air came back to her as easily as the pretty color on her face.

"Darien," she breathed in amazement.

"It seems I came a little too late to save you." He was referring to the teenage boy who had been dancing with her earlier

The gruffness in his voice made her smile. "You were spying on me," she accused with a grin of pleasure. Her feet were coming back down to earth; the earlier fear and hysteria that gripped her just a few moments ago disappeared. And it was all because of Darien. He had a way about him that she found calming—as though she knew that so long as he was near, everything would be all right.

"If I'd known you'd be so happy to see me spoil your bachelorette party, I would have done it sooner," Darien remarked dryly; but he could not help the grin that pulled his lips too as he saw the overwhelming look of joy in her eyes as she stared up at him.

"I missed you tonight," she whispered, wrapping her arms tightly around him and burying her head into his warm chest. She inhaled, and decided that his scent was the best tranquilizer ever. And boy did he smell good.

Taken aback by her honesty, and the raw fervor in her voice, Darien crushed her tightly to his hard length and sighed contentedly into her hair. "I missed you too, sweetheart."

"Darien?"

"Hmm?"

"Take me home."

"What?"

"Take me home, please," she repeated; this time she as she did so she touched her lips to the base of his throat and kissed him there.

He trembled. Damn, if ever she knew the power she had over him, she'd have him tied around her little finger.

"What about the rest of the girls?"

"Oh, don't worry," she assured him, running her lips back and forth across his skin; sending delicious shivers down through his body. "They're watching us now as we speak."

Somewhat startled by that fact, Darien's grip on her loosened.

She clung to him for her dear life.

"I should have known," he growled.

"Let's go please?" She tilted her head backwards to look at him.

The expression in her eyes was so utterly consuming, Darien couldn't help the overwhelming urge that seized him to touch her, kiss her, and possess her. With a steady hand he cradled her smooth cheek in his palm and ran his thumb teasingly over her bottom lip. She felt like silk to his touch—so soft.

She met his lips half way and answered his groan of desire with her own hungry moan.

It took all of his restraint to pull his lips away from hers. They were in a public place, he reminded himself; but it didn't do him any good. It didn't ease the ache, dull the craving that still enflamed his senses. Only she could feed his desire. Through hooded eyes he lazily contemplated her lush, full lips—remembering the sweet flavor in his mouth—and the consequences of kissing her again.

He decided to hell with everyone watching. Serena's gasp of surprise pleasure was muffled by Darien's hard, consuming kiss.

* * *

"Where are you taking me?" Serena asked into his back. She was sitting behind him on his motorcycle; the night air cold against her hot skin. She clung tighter to him as he accelerated through the intersection.

"You said you wanted to go home," he replied. He couldn't help but smile as she snuggled closer to him. He wasn't sure if she realized that she was always trying to attach herself to him, but he wasn't going to say anything if it was going to drive her away.

"Not _my _home, silly," she laughed against him, and he could feel the warmth of her breath through his shirt. "Your home. Take me home with you."

Tenderness swelled in his chest until it became painful. He couldn't believe what she was requesting. "You want to come home with me?"

He felt her nod her head against him.

"I want to fall asleep in your arms tonight, Darien."

A tightness in his throat restrained him from answering, but Serena knew he heard her. At the next traffic signal he made a U turn and speeded away towards the mansion.

"Darien?"

"Hmm."

"Thank you for saving me." She was referring to Jack's distressing news.

The drafty night breeze picked up, and as it blew against them, the mask Darien had been wearing loosened, and drifted off into the night air.

* * *

**End Note: **Okay...Please tell me what you think. Review!


	18. Chapter 18

**AN: **Sorry you guys! I've not kept to my word about updating. I know it's been a while, but I'm trying to do the best I can. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. It's really short, I know :(. Let me know what you guys think.

**Disclaimer: **All rights to Sailor Moon reserved to Naoko Takeuchi.

* * *

Darien was standing in front of his bedroom window watching the city lights in the distance. They had got to the mansion only a half hour ago, and still Serena was locked up in his bathroom. He sighed and leaned his head against the glass. Closing his eyes he thought about the wedding. Two days. That was all. Only two days left.

Faintly he heard a click from behind him and turned.

"Don't try anything funny."

She was creeping out of his bathroom like a nervous cat on the tips of her toes, ready to run.

He bit back a shout of laughter.

"This is not amusing," she admonished, scurrying to the side of his bed. She was wearing an oversized T-shirt—_his_ T-shirt.

He disagreed.

With a lazy smile he watched as she pulled the covers back, and wedged herself between the mattress and sheets. Grasping the blankets in a deathly grip, she threw them over her head so that all he could see was the top of her golden curls.

He laughed.

"You're funny," he said, folding his arms across his chest, to contemplate her rigid form beneath the sheets.

She revealed her head for only the slightest second to stick her tongue out at him, and then her head was gone again. "Shut up," came her muffled reply from under the covers. "This isn't funny."

He laughed again. "I didn't say _this_ was funny. I said _you_ were funny."

"Well, ha ha ha—" she replied stiffly, "I'm glad you think I'm _so_ funny. I'm glad you think I'm _so _helpless. I'm glad you think I'm _so_ immature. I'm glad you think—"

"You're the coolest person I know."

The sensual warmth that came from his voice stopped her on a dime. The fizzling annoyance that sizzled within her bottled emotions imploded like he was the tap against the top of her can. Her breath caught in her throat. Did he know what he was doing to her? Driving her mad with his wicked words—words that made her wish of things, made her dream of things, made her yearn for things, impossible things that she knew could never be. Did he know?

No. He didn't. He didn't know. Of course not. He didn't care. This was about him. This marriage was about him. Her feelings? It came second. This was all a matter of convenience for _him_. Not her. It was never about her.

And so here she was. In his bed. Enduring the agony of wanting him near, of wanting his body, of wanting his heart. She was pathetic. She really was, and there was no other kind way to say it. She let herself fall for him, all the while knowing the impossible, knowing the odds, knowing how it was going to end—like how things always end: sad, meaningless—_pathetic_.

But it had happened. He was the captor, and she? She was the prisoner. And like every slave responding to the call its master, she proved no resistance to the sound of his voice.

Slowly she peeled back the covers away from her face—her hands quaking from the strain: the strain of holding on to her dignity and surrendering completely to him.

"Stop saying that," she grumbled, her eyes brooding as she observed his smiling face.

"It's true," he replied in such a nonchalant, casual way that she was thrown into a world of confusion. And with befuddled eyes she watched as he shrugged carelessly and shoved his hands into his pant pockets, looking like an honest school boy.

"If it wasn't," he countered, his dark eyes twinkling, "believe me: there'd be no way I'd ask you to marry me. I mean," he laughed in amusement, "contrary to what you might think, I don't go around asking people who I don't respect to be bonded to me for life."

He was trying to lighten her mood. She could tell by his playful tone. And that was when it occurred to her that somehow their roles had switched. It occurred to her that somehow she was the one who needed his comfort and not the other way around. When had that happened? When had she given up her independence, her strength of mind, her security? When? When? She scanned her memory for the exact moment, the exact time that she had relinquished control of her self-reliance. And when she identified it, she panicked. She had lost it, she realized, when she fell in love with him.

Darien did not miss the flash of fear that he saw in her eyes. An overwhelming urge to go to her, to hold her, to protect her, racked his body. He shook with its intensity.

"What's wrong?" His voice was gruff, his face reflected the worry of his tone.

"Nothing!" She replied all too quickly. Her smile all too practiced. Her laughter all too fake. "That would be rather disastrous, wouldn't it? I see your point."

He was not convinced. "Serena, what's wrong?"

It was game over. She knew it. She knew it as assuredly as she knew that look of determination in his eyes. Her heart rate rocketed.

"It's not important," she lied rather unsuccessfully.

"I want to know," he persisted. He took one step closer to the bed.

"Don't," she ordered—he didn't miss the panic in her voice. "Don't come any closer."

"Tell me," he challenged, taking one more assertive step.

Her walls crumbled. She could feel the tears threatening to spill. It was over. It had been over a long time ago, yet she had still fought. She fought tooth and nail to be victor at a losing game.

This was it, she told herself. It was time to get it over with. Her throat constricted, her palms sweated, her heart raced. It was stage fright to the umpteenth degree. How could she tell him? How?

She sat up. Fiddled with the bed sheets in her hand. She was a nervous wreck. Mustering up the courage with a deep solemn breath, she turned towards him.

"Darien, I—" her voiced quavered and so did her eyes, and so she shifted her gaze back down into her lap.

"Yeah?" He impelled her to continue.

"I love you."

The words came out in a rushed blur. This was not the way she had imagined it would be. She had, in fact, never imagined it at all. But she at least expected it would be better than this. It would've been better than this strange expression he was giving her right now. It would've been better than this awkward silence that suddenly filled the room.

"What did you say?" He finally spoke.

She was mortified. Did he not hear her? Did he not hear her just admit to the one most agonizing truth she had kept to herself for so long? She didn't think she could find the courage to say it again.

"I said—"

"I know what you said," he interrupted her. His face softened suddenly, and for a split second she thought she saw something flicker in his eyes—something so deep, so deeply profound—she was stunned by his change of tone.

"Do you mean it?" He asked soberly. And she couldn't help but wonder if the raw ache she detected in his question was just in her imagination or for real.

She opened her mouth to answer, but he stopped her.

"I mean, are you just saying that for the sake of our future as husband and wife, or—do you really mean it? Do you love me? Do you love me as a friend? A brother? A—"

She burst out laughing. Was he serious? Was he seriously asking her those ridiculous questions? This was her first time telling a person of the opposite sex aside from her father that she loved him, and he questioned whether her love was true or not? Just her luck!

"I'm serious," he growled, glaring at her laughing face.

"Darien," she gasped in between muffled laughter, "If I kissed my brother the way I kissed you, I'd be going straight to hell."

Her answer startled him. At first he frowned, and then his lips twitched, and then he was laughing right alongside her.

"We'd _both_ be going straight to hell," he qualified, shoulders shaking with mirth.

Laying on the bed, he scooped her up into his arms and held her tightly against his chest, waiting out the chortles of amusement that twitched her body.

"Just…don't say what you don't mean, okay?" He whispered softly into her hair when she finally stopped shaking.

She pushed against his chest and tilted her face towards him, and with ardent reverence she confessed, "I love you, Darien Chiba. I do."

And as though some divine entity had flicked on a light bulb in Darien's head, he smiled a joyous, triumphant grin that beamed with warmth in his eyes. With a muffled groan he pressed his lips to hers for a stirring tenderly kiss that opened a door of desire so strong he was powerless but to fuel it with another long, drugging kiss.

He could hardly believe he had the strength to leave her warm body when he finally pulled away. She groaned in protest when he let her go and rolled off the bed.

"We can't be doing this now," he said with haggard breaths, but unable to conceal the grin of satisfaction on his face. "Not when the wedding is only a few days away."

Serena blushed. She sat up and realized the shirt she had borrowed from Darien was hiked up high along the tops of her thigh. She was mortified.

"You take the bed," he said, walking towards his bedroom door.

In alarm, Serena called after him, "Where are you going to sleep?"

"In the guest room across the hall," he replied with a rascal's look in his eyes.

"What? Why?" She asked, untangling herself from his bed sheets.

He laughed, "As glad as I am to see you're disappointed that I can't be with you tonight, there is no way in hell I can sleep on that couch over there knowing that you're lying there in my bed. And by that look on your face, I think you get my meaning. You look cute when you get all embarrassed, by the way." Taking her chin in his hand, Darien tilted her head to receive a gentle good-night kiss.

"That will have to do," he teased as he let her go.

As soon as he crossed the hall and closed the guestroom door, Darien leaned against it, feeling all his strength drain from him.

"I love you too," he said the words to the empty room. Words he had been unable to say to her.

* * *

**End Note**: So it gets closer to the end...Haha, I hope you guys enjoyed that. And I hope I really didn't ruin the big "moment" (Serena confessing) by rushing this too much. If you've got complaints, take it up with me :).


	19. Chapter 19

**AN:** Hello everyone. I'm finally back with a new chapter. I'm so sorry that I've postponed for so long. I hope you won't be too disappointed with this chapter, I believe it's the second to last chapter! So heads up, the next one will be the end! I hope you enjoy. Please read and REVIEW =].

* * *

"Okay, look Mr. Rich-and-Famous—" a single accusing finger jutted at his shoulder, "Don't think that what I said to you the other day changes anything. All right?"

Darien deflected the finger with a single swipe. In annoyed amusement he smiled and patted her on the head. "Good morning to you too, Sweetie."

He had just walked out of his bedroom when he nearly tripped over the fuming blonde stalking his door. Having not slept a wink last night, he decided he would eat breakfast and go for his routinely jog to clear his mind. That usually helps. Usually. But as of late, his conflicting thoughts concerning his feelings for Serena; her mysterious identity, and her attempted murder; were all he could think about.

He watched the news. She was there in the crime reports. He went to work. She was there in his office tucked in a file in his drawer. He went to bed. She was there too; a part of his waking dreams. And it drove him insane.

"Don't call me 'Sweetie'," Serena growled, folding her arms across her chest. "And don't try to butter me up with tender words. Remember? No games. I just want to get this over with, and I know that you know that we don't need any more complications, isn't that right?"

He thought she was being cute. The way her lips were puckered up in that don't-mess-with-me way was really a turn on. It was hard keeping a straight face as he clasped her on the shoulder and shoved her aside. It really was. She even had the most adorable expression as she let out an outraged gasp. He couldn't get over it. Nope. He couldn't. She was just too darn pretty. And those eyes! He chuckled, those magnificent blue eyes burning for murder. Hm…well, at least what he was doing would keep _her_ out of being the one murdered.

"Look, Serena, get over yourself. I have better things to do than to mess with you, all right? Now, why don't you just head on down to the kitchen and have some breakfast. That's what I'm doing."

"Hey, buddy, don't you dare just blow me off!" Serena huffed, stamping her feet after the dark-haired handsome as she flailed her arms like a crazy woman.

Darien cast a glance over his shoulder and quirked an amused eyebrow that made her flush in embarrassment. "Calm down. I understand you want to start some beef with me. How long did you stake outside my door anyway? I'm starting to feel like a hunted criminal inside my own home."

As if her face wasn't red enough, Serena blushed even more. She was scarlet, and it wasn't the scarlet of the rosy glow on Santa's chubby cheeks, but the deep crimson darkness of a red rose.

"I was not staked outside of your door!"

"Uh huh," Darien agreed all too congruously for Serena's liking.

"I was not!"

"Sure."

"Really, why would I even want to have a stake out just to catch you in the morning?" She repudiated.

Darien stopped in his tracks. He turned around; Serena almost slammed her nose against his chest.

"What!" She shouted, looking up at his disarming smile.

"How long?"

She thought she would kill him as the corner of his lips raised to a crooked rascals grin. In defeat, she sighed, "Fifteen minutes, okay."

He laughed.

* * *

"Oh my…" Mina breathed in amazement.

"Serena, you look fabulous!" Amy exclaimed.

"No," Lita shook her head, "Like a queen!"

"Tissues, please, someone grab me the tissues, because my brother is going to die when he sees you in this dress!" Rei was gushing, but not only was she gushing, she was behaving like a frantic mother hen, chaotically running around the dressing room trying to find tissues.

"Rei, calm yourself. You're going to break your neck running around like that in those five-inch heels." Serena cautioned, shaking her head at the flabbergasted stupor of all four girls.

"You guys really think it looks good?"

That was the wrong question to ask. All at once her four friends came out of their trance. All at once she received four very nerve raising death glares.

"Oh, just turn around and look at yourself in the mirror, Serena," Mina chimed, walking forward to her friend garbed in pearl white to lift the lacey fabric of the train so she could maneuver.

"You're stunning," Mina whispered into her ear.

She really was, Serena thought. Or, well, at least the dress was. It was the most beautiful thing she had ever worn. The material was so soft, so delicate, so fine….she didn't feel worthy to touch it.

"I think we all agree." Lita nodded, "This is the one."

Serena looked at the complementing neckline, the off the shoulder straps, the pearl encrusted bodice, and the long flowing skirt that seemed to swirl with an ethereal illusion. Was it the right one? She'd be stupid if she chose a different one.

"Judging by that smile, I'll have the sales lady wrap it up for you. I'll go get her while you take it off," Amy volunteered jubilantly and sauntered out of the room.

"One more day…" Serena whispered, staring at the image before her. She saw a slender young lady. Scared. Uncertain. Confused. She didn't know who she was anymore—that girl in the mirror, it wasn't her. It wasn't the strong, confident, unruly girl who began school that first semester. In her place was a fragile-looking princess; all dolled up for her royal commencement. And the funny thing was: that wasn't a metaphor. She was soon to begin her reign as the heiress to Japan's richest, most prestigious family. _Joy_.

The ghastly pale pink room in white trim was straight out of the Rococo. The ostentatious furnishings and frivolous décor made Fragonard's paintings pale in comparison. It was very pretty, but it reminded her of a museum; cold, frigid, haughty, an air of look-but-don't touch. She didn't feel very comfortable.

That was the world she was going to live in.

"Let me unbutton the back for you," Lita volunteered.

"Thanks," Serena nodded as a wave of nausea hit her.

"You okay?" Lita asked, her fingers were quickly moving down the dress, but her eyes watched the blond in the mirror.

"I'm starting to feel a little dizzy" Serena admitted, grabbing onto a chair.

"Uh oh," Lita chuckled. "Is someone starting to get cold feet?"

"No, not cold feet. Just…a little confused."

"Tell us about it," Lita rolled her eyes. "To be honest with you, we've been nothing but confused since you and Darien broke the news to us. We could hardly believe you two wanted to get married."

"What?" Serena asked, flabbergasted. Her eyes darting to Lita's in the mirror. "I thought you guys all liked that we were getting married."

"Don't get me wrong," Lita shook her head, "We're glad. We are. It's just we found it a little weird is all." She shrugged.

Serena frowned. "Weird? What do you mean weird?" Somewhere in the room Mina and Rei were laughing, and no matter how hard she tried to drown them out her head kept ringing. She glared down at Lita, who shrunk back in defense.

"Well…did you know that Mina and Darien used to date?"

Serena nodded, grimacing at the throbbing sensation that was building behind her eyes.

A look of relief washed over Lita's brow. "Whew, thank goodness! We thought you didn't know!"

"What are you trying to say?" Serena asked; a shrewd look was on her face.

"Oh, nothing…we just thought it was a little odd, you know? Being, Mina was the only girl in Darien's life, and then a few months after their break up, he asks you to marry him. We were all just wondering if you were the rebound girl or not."

"Rebound girl?" Serena could hardly force the words out. And even as she said it, they didn't sound coherent to her.

"Yeah, according to Mina, he sounded pretty bad over the phone."

Serena turned her head slightly, catching a glimpse of the beautiful blond chatting up with Rei. The glamour of her silky blond hair, the elegance in her high cheek bones, the loveliness in her deep-set eyes. A slow envious fire kindled in Serena's stomach.

"The phone?"

"Yeah, she broke up with him through the phone. Gave him the break-up call from Paris and said that-was-that. Kind of sleazy in my opinion, but she said he agreed to it and that it was mutual. But she did say that he sounded a little aloof, and according to her, "aloof" is a defense mechanism for Darien when he feels too emotional about something. Are you okay?" Lita looked up at Serena from her crouched position. "You're shivering. I'm all done by the way."

"I—I'm okay," Serena managed a weak smile, but like her trembling fingers, her voice shook imperceptibly. She let the dress fall to the floor and stepped out of the silky white mess.

"Yeah, so anyway, Mina said he really loved her. She said there was no doubt in her mind he would have taken a bullet for her. And Rei agreed. She said her brother was crazy about Mina."

Serena felt dizzy. A throbbing sensation built at the back of her head and threatened to explode. She could feel her head expanding, ready to burst over its threshold. Her grip tightened on the chair, feeling her knees give way under her weight.

"I'm just worried for you, Serena," Lita admitted, standing and hooking her thumbs into the belt loops of her jeans. She shifted her weight onto one foot. "I've always had your back, but ever since this whole Akita-University-thing I haven't been able to help you at all. Now, I know it's not my place to judge your relationship with Darien, but I just want you to be careful, all right?"

Why was it becoming so hard to breathe? Serena felt a burning sensation at the back of her skull. She broke into a cold sweat as she gasped for breath and slowly slipped a hand through her hair to her scalp. What she felt there gave her pause. A long, nasty scar thrusted along the surface of her head. It burned hot under her hand.

The wound threatened to undo what the stitches had done. She could feel the blood gushing out. She could see the crimson elixir drenching her hair. She could smell the rank poison on her skin. She was remembering.

Blurred and obscured images became clear and defined. Missing puzzle pieces to that night reemerged out of the darkness and connected and refined her memory. It was all coming back to her. Everything.

She nearly collapsed. The chair she grasped tipped forward under her weight, groaning as it skidded across the floor. It was a strange feeling: having full consciousness but no ability to control her body. She told herself, "Stand." But she couldn't. And down she went as tremors racked her body. Down, down, down to the floor as each vivid memory came back to her.

"You guys…" Serena called; her voice just above a hoarse croak, "I remember..."

Amy had just come in through the door and saw Serena's pale face. "Serena, are you okay?" Amy asked, rushing to hold up the fragile blond; she walked her to the couch.

Lita, Mina and Rei stopped in their antics and gasped. All four girls huddled around the bride-to-be. Amy checked Serena's pulse. It was irregular. Amy checked Serena's temperature. She was burning.

"Girls, step back, give her space to breathe!" Amy ordered, going into doctor mode.

She was shaking uncontrollably. Her eyes were dilated. Her breath was short. With chattering teeth she stuttered, "I remember—Oh my-my—I remember it all…"

"Serena," Amy commanded, taking her hands in a firm hold, "I need you to take in a deep breath—yes, yes—just like that. Okay, now hold it. Hold in that breath….okay, now let it go. Alright, stick with me. Again. Take a deep breath, hold it, and…let it go."

"Amy what's wrong? Should we call an ambulance?" Mina's voice was frantic. She hovered by the side of the couch on her knees, scared by the sudden attack. The look on Serena's face frightened her, and she worried they might need to get her to the hospital. Mina felt like crying. It was going to be Serena in a hospital bed all over again, and they all would be waiting to see whether she were to live or die.

"No, not yet. She's hyperventilating; I just need to help her regain her breathing, so her blood flow will return to her face and hands—Kami they're cold!"

"What's wrong with her?" Rei cried, clutching the side of the couch. "She was just fine a few minutes ago."

"I don't know," Amy shook her head, "But we can't stay here."

"Come on," Amy ordered, as Serena struggled to control her breath, "Lita help me get her into the car."

"N-no, I need to—" Serena began, putting out a quaking arm to push the brunette away.

"Serena, listen to me," Amy said, cupping the blonds face, "We need to get you out of here, okay? So, cooperate and that way we don't hurt you carrying you out. Does that sound alright?"

"I n-need t-t-to a-as-sk..." Serena began again, but as she did so, her vision began to blur and faces became unfocused, and then…

Everything faded to black.

* * *

Darien. He was her first thought. She sat up.

"Darien," she called to him.

She felt a cool hand cover hers and she opened her eyes. It was her mother.

"Mom," Serena said with a smile.

"You just missed him, Darling. Darien just left."

Serena struggled to get up, but the layers of blanket over her were suffocating.

"Darien made sure you were all wrapped up before he left."

It figured, Serena grumbled to herself. Of course he was the one who would torture her in this way. "Help?" She raised a suggestive brow to her mother, who jumped at the invitation.

Sitting herself back down by Serena's bedside, Mrs. Tsukino laid a gentle hand on her daughter's thigh and patted her, worry flashed in her eyes. "How could you scare us like that?"

Her daughter gave her a wry smile, and remarked, "Gee Mom, I'll be sure not to do it next time."

Her mom gave her a look that suggested she wasn't going to take that tone. "What happened?"

What happened? She didn't know either. Squinting through the dim light of her room she tried to recall the events of the afternoon, and tried to assess what had happened to her in words.

"I think it was a side effect of the head trauma, Mom. It must have been—my coordination malfunctioned, and then…then—" she tried to explain it as best she could, but how could she when she didn't even know herself?—"It was kind of scary. I just blacked out."

Her mom seemed to be holding her breath; she let out a wavering sigh as she got up and wrapped her arms around her daughter in a tight hug. "Don't do that again, honey. Not to us. Not to Darien either. I swear that boy loves you like no tomorrow. He wouldn't leave your side until he knew you were okay."

Serena rolled her eyes. "I don't see him now," she cursed him silently. And to her utter remorse, she felt a sudden dry spell hit her eyes. Great. She cursed Darien's existence.

"He got a phone call right before you woke; said it was business," her mom explained, collecting herself. "He seemed to be in a hurry, now that I think about it. Must have been important."

"Yes, much more important than his fiancé blacking out at a bridal store," Serena scoffed.

"He's a very important man, Serena. You have to understand he's got obligations if you are to marry him," her mom scolded. "Anyways, you need your rest for the big day tomorrow. I'm going to let you sleep."

"Night."

She did not go to sleep until two hours later. Instead, she lay awake on top of her blankets staring into the darkness, thinking about how she got into the mess she was in now.

It was his fault. All of it. It was he who solicited her company. He who insisted they be friends. He who rocked her world, but now left her in the rubble of it. It was his fault and she didn't think she could ever forgive him again.

Yes, she remembered now. That night was crystal clear in her memory.

Speaking to the reporter, dancing with Darien, Reizei's haunting words echoing down the hall, and then the most humiliating part of the night—the kiss. The horrid kiss that shattered her already fragile faith in love. It tore her heart knowing that he used her. Darien used her.

It was just like the rich to use the poor to their advantage like that. She was nothing but a paper towel he rolled out to wipe his mess and to be thrown in the trash after that. She meant nothing to him. That much was clear.

So what if she was in love with him. That didn't matter. Who was she kidding by going through with the wedding tomorrow? He didn't love her. She knew the truth. Serena was aware it was guilt that was pushing him to go through with it. Of the one quality that she knew to be true of Darien Chiba, was that he had the integrity of a lion: strong and resolute, never to be broken. He wouldn't allow her to go on with her life knowing that he had been the one to cause her near-death-experience. He was too honorable.

She couldn't marry him. Not today, not tomorrow—not ever.

* * *

"I've seen you before."

Jack nodded as he shook Chiba's hand. "At the club. I was speaking to your fiancé."

Chiba's eyes lowered as he regarded the reporter. "I remember. Please, take a seat," Chiba extended his hand to the chair in the living room.

Once situated around the glass table, Jack began, "Although I've been told to drop my research into your fiancé's attempted murder, my team and I have not." He paused to gauge Chiba's reaction. The dark-haired son of a bitch was a stony mask; his fair eyes glimmered dangerously as they watched Jack. "We do not believe that it was coincidence Ms. Tsukino was nearly hit by that truck that night. I know the police believe it may have been a result of drinking and driving, but that is not so. I know you Mr. Chiba."

At that, the corner of the Chiba's lip quivered. "As I know you, _Jack_."

The use of his first name was like a grenade thrown into a battlefield. Jack's eyebrows raised in surprise. It appeared Chiba lived up to his reputation as a shrewd entrepreneur who made it his personal responsibility to know everyone and everything he dealt business with. This guy was sharp, real sharp.

"So you know my first name," Jack shrugged, "No big deal…Darien."

The drop of his name didn't faze Chiba. Not one bit. He still looked as dominating and controlled as ever.

"It's only fair, since I know so much about you. You're Darien Mamoru Chiba. You're twenty-three. You head your family's company in Japan while your father is away. You make a half million American dollars a year, but that's only because you're working part time. The other half of the time you go to school. You're getting your Masters in Business Administration in June. You're six feet tall and weigh 180 pounds. You are a third degree black belt in Karate and became the youngest Kendo champion in Japan at the age of fourteen. You graduated at the top of your high school class. You've dated Minako Aino for five years, three of which she was away in Paris. You're recently engaged to Usagi Serena Tsukino who you've only been dating less than a year. You love chocolate. Your favorite color is red. Your blood type is B. Your shoe size is 11 and a half. Your flower of choice are roses and you love buying diamonds for every girl you sleep with hence you have an account in every one of the finest jewelry stores in Japan."

Chiba raised an eyebrow, but he did not look impressed. "Is that all? You could find all that out on the internet. Did you Google me?"

Jack flushed.

"You're Jack Slater, an American reporter who is running away from his own scandal in the States—I'm guessing it has to do with a girl. And I'm guessing her name is Lily Shaw."

Jack stiffened at that. _How did he know?_

"You are twenty-five years old and are considerably good at what you do. But what you love most about your job is the thrill of solving a mystery. Particularly murder mysteries. The case that sent you catapulting into the top of your line of work was a murder mystery—your mother's murder to be precise. Your dad abandoned you guys when you were eight. You have no siblings. Your mother was an alcoholic who you had no respect for. You spent most of your time at a neighbor's; they took you in, you considered them family. The Shaws are their name."

Again, Jack was stumped. This information was not on any of his records. The Shaws were simply friends; they weren't relatives of any sort. He had never even told Mitch about them. Now he deeply regretted wearing the bug in his jacket. No doubt Sloan and Mitch will be hounding him for answers.

"You did not graduate at the top of your high school class. You dropped out. You were very smart though, you got your G.E.D. went to a community college and then transferred to NYU where you got your degree in Journalism. Your favorite class was forensic psychology and you thought about a career in law enforcement. You headed the NYU student newspaper for two years which then got you a position as an intern on the_ New York Times_. You are five feet ten inches and weigh165 pounds. You're currently working with Mitch White who was your dorm roommate at NYU. He's your cameramen, your right-hand man…your sidekick. Your blood type is O. Your shoe size is ten. You enjoy black and white movies. You love rainbow sherbet ice cream. Your vision is horrible—I don't know how you get those thick contact lenses on. And you love watching Tom and Jerry as you eat Fruit Loops. Is there anything I missed?" Chiba asked, folding his hands over the table.

"Favorite color?" Jack growled.

"Yellow."

Sighing in resignation, Jack smiled reluctantly. "Everything about you is true."

Chiba shrugged, looking as though he could have cared less. "I wouldn't say that."

"We'll see," Jack allowed. "Alright," Jack's tone became serious, "You know why I'm here Mr. Chiba. It's a matter of life or death. Tsukino's life or death. We believe there is a chance your fiancé is in fact—"

"Serena St. James. I know."

Disgruntled again, Jack cleared his throat and continued, "Yes. I see you've also done your research. Well we, my team and I, believe that her murderer is no one else than Ronald St. James. He wants her dead. I don't know what for, but he's coming for her."

"I know that too," Chiba admitted, his voice softening though. Jack could see the concern in the man's eyes. "I have my men on it."

"But I don't think you understand the gravity of the situation—"

"Are you saying I don't understand the immediate danger to my fiancé's life?" Chiba's voice was cutting. "If that's so, you're wrong Mr. Slater."

Jack was taken aback by the force of Chiba's simmering anger. He felt as though he was facing a fiery inferno twisting in a furnace, waiting for him to fall in. "I'm just saying there needs to be immediate action—"

"I _am_ taking immediate action," Darien roared. "Her life means everything to me. How dare you march in here and tell me I need to do more to protect her? I'd rather die than see her in pain."

Surprised by the intensity of the confession, Jack stammered, "You don't understand, Mr. Chiba."

"I don't understand?" Darien scoffed. "No. I don't think _you_ understand. I—" he swallowed, "I love her." The confession swept over him like a powerful wave, leaving him feeling ungrounded. It was finally out. He had said it aloud. Damn it, he had said it to a reporter.

"Serena is the only woman I think I can ever spend my life with. She makes me laugh and she makes me want to be a better person. She's amazing. I'm going to protect her at all costs: there's no way I'm losing her."

Jack stood. It was an awkward moment. One of those moments where you've just witnessed an embarrassingly intimate scene and you feel like an intruder for witnessing it. He shook his head.

"I'm glad to hear it."

"I assume this meeting is over?" Chiba rose to his feet. "I'll see you out."

The two men walked in silence to the foyer. As Jack put on his shoes Chiba called for the butler to bring Jack's coat and scarf.

"I wasn't questioning your relationship with Ms. Tsukino, Mr. Chiba." Jack confided.

Chiba nodded and extended his hand, "Thank you for your concern, Mr. Slater. But I've got everything under control."

Slipping on his coat and scarf, Jack turned to the open door and stepped out. He turned and took Chiba's hand in his for a handshake.

"I believe you will do all that is within your power to protect her, Mr. Chiba," Jack said warmly. "But there is one thing you should know."

"And that is?" Darien asked cautiously, noting the other man's severe tone.

"We've tracked St. James's credit card: he's bought a ticket to Japan and will be arriving here tomorrow. I believe he wants to be present for his niece's wedding."

* * *

**End Note: **Please let me know what you think: hate it or love it let me know. Thank you, I hope you enjoyed it.


	20. Chapter 20

**AN: **Hello everyone! This is it. The last chapter. The one everyone's been threatening me with death to finish. I hope you all enjoy. This story has been a big part of the last 6 years of my life. I've grown so much in writing since I've started as a little middle schooler, to the college student I am today. And I want to thank all my readers who stuck with me along the way. Thank you so much for the support and reviews. It has been the driving force for me to continue and finish this story. Because of you, Love is such a Strange and Funny Thing has an ending! Thank you!

* * *

"You can't force me to wear this dress!" Serena shouted, cementing herself down onto a chair. "I'm not marrying you!"

She could not believe the nerve of this man. When she refused to get out of his car, he unceremoniously threw her over his shoulder like a sack of rice and carried her into the building. Nevertheless, she was not putting on the dress and there was no way in hell could he force her into it.

In the last hour after he left her in her changing room, Darien ditched his jeans and T-shirt for a debonair tux and was oozing sex appeal like the society-born alpha male he was. Sure she was attracted to him, but she was not marrying him. Not today, not tomorrow, not ever! Might she add he had security guards posted around her every escape route: two at the door and one along every window outside the room? How did she know? She tried escaping. Six times.

Darien walked in on her seventh attempt. She was sure that there was a way out through the ventilation system. She had almost unscrewed the vent, using her engagement ring as a screwdriver, when he walked in through the door. Quickly, she hid the deformed diamond ring into her pocket. She almost felt bad for destroying it. It really was a beautiful ring.

But it must have been a blood diamond. Like the ones in the Leonardo DiCaprio movie. Except worst, because 1000 children died to retrieve it! Look at it, she thought, it was just too beautiful! Surely somebody died for it. She decided she hated the ring, and should just throw it away. She had nearly convinced herself so when she remembered Rei's words to her.

Apparently, Darien was a humanitarian. He headed the finance department of Chiba Inc. dealing with giving money to charities. According to _Tokyo Weekly_ magazine he donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to cancer research and spent hours of volunteer work at the local hospital at the pediatric cancer ward. Not only that, but he headed his company's project to rebuild villages devastated by tsunamis, and there were thank-you letters to prove it!

She almost wanted to barf at all the goodness of Darien's character. It made her life, stealing and hustling on the streets as a child, embarrassing. But then again, he was born to pretend that he cared. That's what rich people do. They only give to charity for the tax-write offs.

Thank goodness she came to her senses before it was too late.

There was no way to euphemize it. He embarrassed himself by behaving like a man in love with a woman who was leaving him for his best friend. The paparazzi would have had a field day! So how did he save his sorry ass? _Oh, look, there's pathetic little Serena Tsukino, she's a nobody, her feelings don't matter, let me just lie to everyone that I'm already over Mina and that Serena and I are engaged. _Yes, that's how he saved his ass.

So here she was. Sitting across from the heinous bastard who trapped her into this marriage. Hah! Marriage? If anyone could call it that.

"Fine."

Stunned by the softly spoken word, Serena's jaw dropped. "What?"

She watched him shrug his shoulders. His expression was chillingly stagnant as he leaned up against an old bookcase.

"Don't wear it if you don't want to," he said.

Serena couldn't believe her ears. "Fine," she countered, folding her arms and sticking her nose up in the air, "I won't."

She didn't know what she was thinking! Sure, she had amnesia, but did she lose her sense of taste as well? The dress made her look like some fairy-queen-princess. It was almost despicable! It was like—she was five and wanted to play dress up! And the lace! So...so...so girly! At least Kami was kind enough to save her from the humiliation of walking down the aisle in that white oppressive symbol of captivity.

"Are you ready to get on with it?"

"If I don't wear the dress, I'm not going to marry you, Darien. Get it?" Serena glared.

She was getting tired of this game. One would think that with all of Darien's money, he would at least buy himself a clue! She wasn't the kind of girl who dreamed about her wedding day. She didn't have a prince charming saving her or a fairy-tale happily-ever-after. No. She didn't dream about it at all. And to have him pull this jack-ass stunt? It made her blood steam just thinking about getting married.

"It doesn't matter what you wear," Darien said stiffly, as he looked out the window, a scowl on his face. "I'll marry you as you are."

Serena scoffed. "You don't exactly have a choice. But save it-I don't want to hear all that fake mushy stuff you want to spout-you can't push me around anymore."

"I hardly did any pushing around, sweetie," Darien said, his tone heavy with innuendo, "You agreed to get married with little persuasion from me."

"Yeah well I wasn't in my right mind," Serena jutted a finger to her head, "I got hit by a semi-truck, got amnesia, and got lied to by my best friend!"

Darien visibly gulped. "Would it make any difference if I said I had your best interest at heart?"

"No!" Serena was spitting mad, "you had _your_ best interest at heart. Don't try to justify what you did! I had _amnesia_! Amnesia, Darien! Do you know what that is? Temporary memory loss!

"You took advantage of my temporary memory loss! What sick bastard would do that? That's like leading a blind person in front of a train, or giving a diabetic sugar, or giving a recovering alcoholic alcohol! Are you stupid-are you _crazy-are you_?"

Darien didn't back down from the raging storm Serena had become. Her hands were flailing, her saliva was flying, her voice was shrill, and her words hurt. She had an amazing mouth on her. He wanted to laugh. How could he have forgotten that razor tongue that cut flesh like butter? She was skinning him alive now.

She was back-that girl on the roof of Akita-and she was raising hell.

Darien smiled, fighting the overpowering urge to scoop her up in his arms and squeeze her until all her bluster went away. In that moment he decided there was no better sight in the world than a red-faced, angry Serena. This was how he wanted to remember her always. Loud and willing to give him all the hell he deserved. This is why he loved her.

"Take that goofy look off your face, or else!" Serena shouted, punching her right fist into her left hand. Her eyes were wild.

Darien quirked an eyebrow. He decided to indulge her. "Or else, what?"

"Or else I'll punch it off, that's what," she snarled.

He couldn't believe his ears. Serena's slim and petite size to his full 180 pound 6 feet height made her absolutely nonthreatening, yet she made him cringe! Did he think it would hurt if she punched him? No, no way. But did he think she was crazy? Fuck yes, absolutely.

"Let's see you try to lay one on me," Darien replied, his grin widening. He tilted his chin to the side, offering easy access to his left cheek.

"If you really insist," Serena laughed. She crouched down, leaned forward, and took off in his direction. She jumped. She swung-

And made perfect contact with a spin kick to Darien's face.

"Shit!" Darien cursed, the momentum of her leg sending him to the floor. "You said punch, not kick," he spat to see if there was any sign of blood.

Serena stood back, plopping her hands on her waist to observe her damage. "Kami, that felt good!" She watched him get back up to his feet; he was slowly rubbing his jaw.

"Did you love her?"

"Who?"

"Mina."

Maybe she was a masochist. It wasn't exactly like it hurt. It didn't. She just wanted to know the truth. Kind of like that stupid dream she kept having. It was a nightmare really, with all the screaming and shouting and gunshots and explosions. And she always woke up in a cold sweat after the same sound of a creaking wooden door slamming shut and then darkness. As scary as that dream was, she always hoped it would come again. Somehow there was something familiar about it, and she felt like it was trying to tell her something. She just didn't know what.

Darien had a secret, and she knew she just had to find out.

"Of course."

Funny how his answer hurt more than she anticipated. And he answered it so easily, so quickly, it was like a foregone conclusion. In fact, he actually looked confused by her question. _Of course_. Didn't she get her memory back? Didn't she remember the way he danced with Mina, the way he held her close and smiled so handsomely for? _Of course._

Maybe that question was stupid.

"I dated her for a long time, Serena. I loved her a lot." Serena didn't realize Darien was so forthcoming. He was almost nonchalant about it, like he was stating a fact from a history book. She wanted to tell him to shut up now.

"When I was little, Mina was the only girl who wanted to play with me. I wasn't very social back then. I spent most of my youth in advance courses and with math tutors and science tutors and English tutors and Spanish tutors and French tutors and Chinese tutors and kendo lessons and karate lessons, I just didn't know how to interact with other children. She—she seemed to like me. I don't know why, but she did. And I guess I just got used to her."

"Whatever—I get it," Serena shrugged, pretending his frank answers didn't upset her. "You love her."

"No, Serena, you don't get it," Darien replied flatly, he almost sounded angry. "I used to love her. Whatever we had, it's all in the past now. She's, like, another sister to me."

He laughed, "I don't think I gave you the satisfaction you were looking for." Darien scratched his head nervously, sneaking fleeting gazes her way. "Look, Serena, you're different. You...you're like my favorite soup when I am sick. You're like the good news at the end of my bad day. You're like the lollipop the doctor gave me after I got my first shot. I don't know, but you make everything better in my life. I need you-and don't you roll your eyes like that at me. I guess what I'm saying is, I've never felt this way about Mina. Only you."

Okay, so the guy was charming. Whoopdeedo. Serena tried to calm her racing heart, but it kept beating his way. Boom boom boom-like a car stereo turned up loud and all you can hear is the bass. Shut up-Serena shouted to her stupid pulse.

"I thought you wanted to hear the truth?" Darien raised one finely arched eyebrow.

Serena groaned, realizing she had shouted that last part out loud.

"No not you-"

"Then what?"

"My stupid-No-" She couldn't say that out loud! Serena mentally berated herself.

"No what?"

"No, I mean, yes you! You, shut up, please."

Darien laughed, and taken aback by that sensuous sound, Serena could only stare.

"Confused much?"

Serena frowned at him. "Only by how your story seems to go back and forth. _You love her—you used to love her—whatever_. I think you're the one confused, my dear."

"Did you just call me 'my dear'?"

"So what if I did?" Serena shrugged, slightly embarrassed that he caught that. She averted her eyes to the adjacent wall, as though it was the most interesting thing she had ever seen.

If she had continued to look his way, she would have seen a glow light up his face, transforming his harsh lines into boyish curves. He didn't break his stride as he closed the distance between them.

She jumped as his hand touched her, curving to her cheek, sliding gently to the back of her neck. It was one touch. One touch so familiar, so comforting, she couldn't help but lean into it. She inhaled. Kami, he smelled good.

Darien felt the faintest touch of her soft lips against the palm of his hands and it drove him crazy! He watched her chest swell as she inhaled, and the way her eyes fluttered shut reveling in his scent. Her lips parted as she rolled her head back in bliss. She may hate him, he thought, but her natural response to him was telling.

"Serena?" He whispered, unable to help the smile that was overcoming him.

"Hmm?" She replied, her eyes still closed, enjoying the gentle ministration of his hand on her neck.

"I'm sorry."

"Well, you should be—heEEEYY! Put me down!"

Darien once again tossed her onto his shoulder like a sack of rice. "Remember," Darien said wryly, "I apologized first."

"YOU SON OF A BIT-"

"Nuh uh uh," Darien laughed, "If you won't walk, I'll carry you down that aisle myself, sweetie." He walked towards the door.

"Not so fast, I'm gonna need you to shut that door Mr. Chiba. Good job," A raspy voice demanded, a voice that Serena had heard before, and immediately she stopped struggling against Darien. From her position, she tried to see where the voice was coming from, but she couldn't turn far enough to see the person. She all of a sudden felt very cold...like she was entering into that dream. De ja vu.

"Darien," Serena whispered, her heart coming to a stop as she came to realize who that voice belonged to, "RUN!"

The last thing she remembered was the roar of a gunshot.

* * *

So his niece was famous. He felt almost proud. When his car pulled into the parking complex, there was no way he could have missed the mass of people lined up along the street as though they awaited a parade. Five news station vans were in the front parking lot, while the paparazzi blended with the crowd. Little girls copied that ridiculous double bun she wore on her head. That double bun...

...That's how her mother wore it as well.

Serenity St. James was a beautiful woman. He noticed that right away. He remembered her creamy skin, like soft butter spread over warm toast; her smile, like bottled-up sunshine beaconing into hearts; her face, like an angel fallen from heaven to do God's work. She was twenty-seven, smart, funny, kind-hearted—the perfect match for his obnoxious do-good brother.

_And they were_. Perfect, he meant.

They hosted charity galas, volunteered in homeless shelters, spent summers abroad building houses for the poor. They were young, they were passionate, and they were very much in love.

Ronald wanted to snicker at just how pathetic it was. Who'd have known their lives would end up like it did? Dead. Unmissed. Forgotten.

Was that society's payment for all their selfless work? If being a good, law-abiding citizen—hell, they were worst than that—if being outstanding humanitarians got them nowhere but dead, he figured he'd rather be a criminal. Criminals, at least, don't have to adhere to society's laws. Whether dead or alive, society doesn't care. So why should he?

He was going to look out for himself and himself only. And that is why he was here. After scouring the United States for the past how-many-years, he finally found her. She was the only one who could pass judgment onto him, and he wasn't going to be having any of that.

"Tie her up," He ordered his henchman, looking at his niece's limp body on the ground. "And put her on that chair."

"And the boy?" The henchman inquired, jumping to do as commanded.

"Do him next."

Ronald, felt his arthritis acting up. It was probably due to nerves. Walking across the room, he took a seat in the armchair and lit a cigarette to ease the stress on his mind. He glanced at his watch: 10:30. He had about fifteen minutes before the wedding party would get suspicious and come looking for the bride and groom.

"Sir, she's waking up."

Ronald paused, his cigarette halfway to his lips, when he saw her eyes—the same beautiful blue orbs as her mother's—glaring with such hatred at him. It was like Serenity had come back to life. It was startling to him.

He finished his cigarette and let it fall to the floor. He stood and walked towards Serena, stopping just inches away from her. He could see the goose bumps on her skin as she trembled in his presence, and it made him smile satisfactorily. He knelt down on one knee, and grabbed hold of her chin.

"You probably don't remember me," he said in a rasp just above a whisper. "But I'm family." He felt a sinister urge to laugh as he said that last part.

"I will take that tape off your face if you promise to answer a few questions for me—and don't be too concerned as to why you can't feel your arms or legs. You've been drugged."

He could see the battle in her eyes between fear and defiance. She was a fighter just like her mother. But she wasn't going to die today—at least not by his hands.

Tears came to her eyes from the pain as he ripped the duct tape off her mouth. "Would you like me to wipe them away?" He taunted.

"Fuck you," she replied, her voice hoarse but strong.

"Now, now," he laughed, and then slapped her across the face hard, "Pay your uncle a little more respect."

Her head looked like it snapped from the force of his hand, but she struggled to raise it again, never allowing him to hear a cry of pain from her.

"You're a murderer!" She croaked softly, her eyes flashing with rage.

"That's enough out of you!" Ronald roared, rising to his feet. "I'll ask you the questions, and if you don't cooperate I'll kill Mr. Chiba, do you understand?"

She nodded, the full realization of the situation now registering on her face.

"Good girl," he chided, smirking devilishly.

"Did your mother give anything to you the night she sent you away?"

"My mother?" The blonde played innocent, her eyes flashing with confusion.

"Don't toy with me. You remember me; I can see it in your eyes!" He withdrew his gun and aimed it at Darien.

"My mother gave me nothing!" Serena shouted, her eyes zipping back and forth between the gun and Darien's slumped body. "What did you do to him?"

"He's been tranquilized; he will come about in ten minutes. Now tell me the truth, damn it, or you will have something to worry about."

"Leave him alone!" Serena snarled like an angry lioness on a territorial rampage. "He has nothing to do with this!"

"Then I believe you shall give me what I want, and I will be on my way. We can forget I was ever here."

"I already told you, my mother gave me nothing!"

"Oh, lie to me again and my bullet is going straight through his brain!" Ronald walked towards Darien's body and pressed the barrel of his gun to Darien's head.

"I honestly don't know—NO, PLEASE DON'T!" Serena screamed as she watched Ronald cock the gun.

"What did your mother give you, you little bitch?" Ronald growled, wrenching the gun from Darien onto Serena.

"She gave me a necklace!"

Ronald lowered his gun, "A necklace?" He looked dumbfounded. "What do you take me for? Where's the god damn disc?"

"What disc?"

"You know exactly what I'm talking about!" Ronald roared.

"I swear, it was a necklace! She gave me a necklace! I have it with me now! It's in there, in my bag."

His henchman lunged for it and handed it to his boss. Ronald rummaged through the contents of her purse until he pulled out a plastic beaded necklace. He threw the bag to the ground and laughed bitterly. "This!" He snickered, lifting the necklace into the light. "This piece of junk is what she gave you?"

She nodded her head dumbly.

"You know, don't you?" His eyes lowered menacingly as he scrutinized her face. "She told you!"

He aimed his gun at his niece, "This is goodbye," he said solemnly, cocking his gun, "to the last incriminating evidence of my crimes."

He pulled the trigger, intending to silence her forever. He felt the power surge through his arm from the bullet, and reveled the old feeling of playing God, when unexpectedly, Darien lunged in front of Serena at that exact moment.

It happened in slow motion. Serena screamed, tears falling from her eyes. Body's came crashing through the window, gun fire went off in every direction, sirens wailed loudly warning of danger—it was the end of the line for St. James.

* * *

"Darien!" Serena shouted, her body trembling from the sight of his heaving chest gasping for air. "You stupid idiot!"

She was crying profusely, unable to control the tortured sobs that racked through her chest and poured out like a volcanic explosion. Her hands and feet refused to move no matter how hard she willed herself, and she screamed in frustration. She needed to go to him! She needed to hold him! She needed to...tell him she loved him.

His face was white. A man walked through the shattered window and walked over to Darien, he was carrying a walkie-talkie and was commanding orders into it. He knelt down beside Darien and said something to him.

"Hey!" Serena shouted to the man.

He turned his head. Serena recognized that it was Jack! The man she had met in the club.

"You!" Serena stammered, hiccupping madly. "What are you doing here?"

"I," Jack said, with a smile on his face, "am in charge of this investigation."

"You're a writer!" She stated as though it were some accusation.

Jack walked over to Serena and extended a hand, "Hi, I'm Jack Slater, Detective Jack Slater of the United States FBI."

Serena stared at his extended hand. "I can't move my hands or feet," she explained, "Do you mind moving me to Darien? I—I have to tell him something—please before it's too late."

"If he wanted to, he could walk over here himself, sweetie," Jack laughed.

Serena's jaw dropped at his callous attitude. Darien was bleeding to death right there on the floor and this FBI agent wasn't doing anything to help! At first she wasn't sure if she heard him correctly, but as he continued to smile at her, she became so angry she clenched her hands into tight fists, feeling the effects of the drug slowly wear off.

"Get your ass up, Darien—" Jack ordered, kicking Darien's feet.

That was it. Serena was furious. She swung her right fist and connected it to Jack's right jaw, sending him stumbling back a few paces.

Darien scrambled to his feet and rushed towards Serena. "Whoa, take it easy, sweetie," Darien said, wrapping his arms around her shoulders, holding her to him tightly.

"You can't do that, he's an officer," Darien chuckled.

Serena could only gawk dumbly into the side of Darien's neck, as she welcomed his warm embrace. "But..." She uttered feebly, "You were shot! I saw it! The bullet hit you!"

Darien let her go. He took off his tuxedo jacket and began unbuttoning his shirt. "I'm wearing a bullet proof vest."

She was crying again. This time, not because Darien was dying, but because he was alive. He was alive! She wanted to jump for joy. Serena touched the spot where the bullet hit, relishing the miracle

"You're alive," she whispered, smiling stupidly at how happy that fact made her.

"Yes, I aaAAAAMM—" Darien shouted in agony as Serena jammed her finger into the bullet hole in his vest, pushing hard.

He wrenched her hand off him. "What are you doing?"

"That's what you get for scaring me like that!" She stuck out her tongue and blew him a raspberry.

"Sorry!" Darien yelled in his defense as she began throwing punches his way. "What are you doing now?" He inquired, easily deflecting her swings.

"This," Serena said, becoming suddenly breathless, "is for making me love you."

Darien pinned both her fists into her lap. "What did you say?" His expression was unreadable.

"I love—"

"I love you, too!" Darien interrupted, unable to contain the happiness surging inside him. "I love you, Serena. I love you, and only you."

He let go of her hands and moved them to her shoulders, pulling her in for a kiss. Their lips met, and it was like kissing for the first time. His lips moved hungrily over hers and she succumbed to his power. It was the same, yet different. This time, she realized, he wasn't holding anything back. This was all him, pouring all his love into this kiss. And she melted in his arms.

"Hey, don't you two have to say your vows before you do that?"

Darien pulled his lips from Serena's momentarily, "Isn't your job done, Jack? Fly back to the States."

"Is this the thanks I get for helping you out?"

"He's right," Darien said, chuckling softly at the dazed expression on Serena's face. "We have a wedding to go to."

Serena nodded. "But before we go, Darien," Serena's tone was somber. "Answer me this: Were you still in love with Mina the night of her party? I know, you say you're over her. But were you still hoping to win her back? It's just that, she said you were so in love with her—you'd take a bullet for her—those were her very words. I don't want you to make the mistake of marrying me, if you truly love her."

Darien sighed. He took her hands in his and squeezed them tightly. And then, staring straight into her eyes, he answered, "Serena, I didn't take a bullet for her."

She shook her head, "I know, but—"

"I took a bullet for _you. _For you, Serena. Not her."

"I know, but—"

"I also jumped in front of a semi-truck going 90 mph for you, if you prefer that over the bullet."

That made her laugh. He was right, she realized. She had been stupid to listen to Reizei. Darien Mamoru Chiba loved her. He loved her! Maybe he used to love Mina, but that was history. She was his present. And today, she would be the only one.

"What are we waiting for?" Serena chided, making a run for the door.

* * *

Their wedding was going to go down in history as the joke of the Japanese elite. They were an hour late behind schedule. The bride and groom were reported missing, and when they did show, the bride came down the aisle in jeans and a sweatshirt and the groom was half dressed with his shirt untucked and unbuttoned to his bellybutton.

It was truly scandalous!

Serena could care less what the rich and snobby elite thought of her as she came sprinting down the aisle with Darien chasing after her. She was completely, and utterly happy. And as they stood facing one another at the altar, she couldn't help but feel that, maybe, for the first time in a long time, happy endings do exist.

"Serena..." Darien, whispered with a frown on his face as he slid the wedding band on her finger, where is your engagement ring?"

She felt a wave of heat rise from her neck to her cheeks. "Um, you know what: that's a long story..."

* * *

"Who was that?" Sloan asked, walking into Jack's office as he hung up the phone.

"Darien and Serena. They're on their honeymoon in France," Jack answered, leaning back in his chair. "They wanted to know what will happen to St. James."

"With that disc we found embedded into that plastic flower charm on her necklace? He'll be going away for a long time."

"Uh, and for the murder of his brother and sister-in-law, and the attempted murder of his niece and nephew-in-law," Jack added sarcastically.

"I can't believe we've finally got Ronald St. James after all these years. We've known that he's been guilty of these white-collar crimes, but there was no evidence. And now it's all there, in that disc. It makes perfect sense. Why he would suddenly change his crooked ways to pretend to be the good, hard-working businessman. Charles St. James blackmailed his brother by making this disc, and when he went down to that jailhouse to pay the bail for Ronald's second DUI, he probably threatened Ronald to be a good citizen so he didn't scare off his fiancé or else he'd turn in the disc to the authorities."

"That's exactly what I was thinking. He bid his time until he could get rid of Charles and Serenity to build a better image for himself. And after he got rid of his brother and his brother's wife, he realized he couldn't find the disc. That's why he went after Serena. At first I thought she could be helping him launder money into Japan, that's why I went to go investigate her, but then he tried to have her killed by sending that semi-truck. Which, I have to say, was a terrible idea. But I guess he was trying to make it look like an accident."

"Who'd have known Serena would be the long lost niece? It's crazy, I tell you, but we cracked this case!"

"I couldn't have done it without you, Sloan," Jack said. He stood and extended a hand. "Good work."

She slapped his hand away, "I deserve more than a fucking handshake," she protested. "Thank me with dinner."

"Dinner?"

"Yes, dinner."

"Uh...I get off at six tonight, you?"

"Six is fine, Jack," Sloan laughed, closing the distance between them. "It's a date." Their lips met for a brief kiss, and before Jack could hold her, she pulled away and walked out of his office.

"It's a date," he said, with a goofy smile on his face.

* * *

**End Note: **And that's end! I'm sorry if it wasn't as wonderful as you guys expected, just let me know if it entertained you, or if it absolutely was flat and lackluster. Review please!

Thank you all again for the support and encouragement throughout the years!


	21. Epilogue

**Author's Note: **Here is the highly requested epilogue everyone's been asking for. I'm sorry it took so long. Let me know if you guys like it so please read and review!

As for Saving All My Love For You, I'm working on the next chapter, but I have no idea when I will finish. I hope I'll be able to get another chapter up by the end of summer.

Disclaimer: All rights to Naoko Takeuchi.

* * *

"What are we doing here?" Serena asked as Darien pulled up to his family's beach house. She had been staring out the window, but had not been paying attention as the city landscape quickly turned into the ocean shore. The sun was just setting; its golden light transforming the sky into a romantic pinkish-purple hue. And the water sparkled like champagne in crystal.

At the sound of the car door opening, Serena turned around in her seat and reached out and caught Darien's shirt cuffs, "Where are you going?"

He raised an eyebrow at her, his eyes full of mischief. "You'll see," he said, shaking off her hand. He walked around to her door and opened it for her. "Mi'lady," he schmoozed, flashing his debonair smile before he swooped her up in his strong arms. She was startled, and squealed, grabbing his dress shirt by the handful.

"Wrap your hands around my neck—yeah, just like that," He urged her softly, chuckling low and warm against her ear. The husky timber of his voice made her shiver against her will.

"Darien, I can walk…"

He shushed her with a gentle kiss against the lips, and her head burrowed into his chest, exhaling dreamily. She didn't know what was coming over her. She told herself this was love, but she couldn't yet believe it. Listening to his footsteps crunch on the sand covered pavement, she was lost to the crashing waves of sensations pulling her under the current. After everything today, the fight was out of her.

She remembered standing at the altar facing Darien just a few hours ago. His face, the usual perfect calm, but she knew differently, she could feel the way his hands shook in hers. He was nervous. And the way he held his breath waiting for her to say 'I do'. And then, that tremendous grin, the happiest look she'd ever seen on his face, right before he curled his fingers around her neck and pulled her lips to his for one hot kiss.

That was all she could see as he carried her to the beach house.

"My life became permanently entwined with yours the moment I found you hiding behind that dumpster in the alley…." He had said. "And after that I had to know more about you. I had to make you a part of my life."

His vows played in her head like a song she couldn't forget.

Inhaling his cologne, she held her breath, trying to keep a part of him inside her, never wanting to let it go.

"What are you doing silly?"

She blushed, "Nothing."

"If you want, you can have my bottle of cologne, I can always buy more," he laughed, kissing her forehead.

"It's different" she said. "It doesn't smell like you—can't I just carry you around wherever I go so I can smell you whenever I like?"

Darien threw back his head and laughed, before crushing her tiny body against his chest. "That can be arranged," he teased.

As they approached the front door, it swung open to Serena's surprise by a butler dressed all in grey.

"Sir," the man said, tipping his hat to Darien.

"Thank you," Darien said warmly, "You are relieved of duty."

As Darien crossed the threshold with Serena in arms, Serena looked up into Darien's face and asked, "What are we doing here?"

Looking down at his wife, Darien smiled softly at her confused expression. "Look around you, Serena." He slowly let her down, purposely letting her legs slide against his to the floor, her creamy breasts pushed high, almost falling out of her sweetheart corset.

Turning on her heels, Serena's jaw nearly dropped to the floor. Rose petals covered every horizontal surface of the beach house. Candles of all sizes and shapes lit the entire place in a golden light that mimicked the setting sun. She couldn't breathe, her breath taken away by the beauty.

"I don't understand," she mumbled, looking all around her. "What about France?"

"I felt that this would be more fitting—I hope you're not disappointed—"

"Disappointed? No! Oh my gosh, Darien, this is…beautiful."

"Is it? I didn't know if it would be enough…."

Serena turned to look at the man who just a few hours ago she had sworn to love until death. Her eyes like giant saucers. "Are you kidding me? This is…perfect…" Her voice shook. The emotions were starting to get to her.

He set the full force of his eyes on her then, his expression full of….longing? Could that be it, Serena thought?

"Serena," her name came out like a tiger's purr, about to pounce, "come here." He commanded, low, subtly dangerous.

She watched as he opened his arms wide, beckoning her into them.

Seeing the desperation there on his face, a sudden wave of courage swelled in her chest, and she shook her head at him. The look of shock and then annoyance that came on his face almost made her laugh. And then, she felt a brazen urge take over.

Reaching behind her, she began to unfasten her white gown. "You want me?" She said, her smile wicked.

He nodded.

"Come and get me," and with those last words she let her gown fall to the floor.

She stood in front of him in nothing but a white lace thong, her creamy skin was bathed in the orangey glow of the candles. Her high full breasts swayed as she spun in her heels and began walking away from him, giving him full view of her round buttocks, jiggling away from him with each step she took.

Serena didn't know what came over her, but the look on his face brought her immense satisfaction. His jaw was clenched shut; that muscle was back in his cheek, twitching rapidly. The look in his eyes before she turned around was like burning coals, smoldering hot.

She took a few more steps, but when she didn't hear him follow, she turned around and found herself eye-to-bare-chest. She gulped. In less than 3 seconds he had flung his shirt off and was following her at a hairs-breadth distance. In her haste to distance herself, she was caught off balance in her heels and Darien's hands immediately caught her around the waist.

The feel of his large hands around the swelling flesh of her bare hip felt like she was being branded. She gasped at the touch, and then when he pulled her closer until her breasts were pinned against his naked chest, she moaned out loud. She didn't know being skin-to-skin could be this heavenly.

At the sound of her moan, Serena saw an explosion in Darien's eyes, and before she knew it, his mouth was crushing hers in an intense kiss. His hands cupped her bare butt cheeks and squeezed, lifting her legs up around his waist, and all she could do was cling on, scared that if she let go he would stop. His tongue was wild and crazy, demanding that she open her mouth for him, demanding that she give him everything, because he wasn't relenting until he had all of her.

She was gasping for breath, clinging to his hair, as she felt him push her up against a wall, in the back of her mind, she made a mental note to check for a bruise tomorrow, but in the moment, she could care less. The rougher he was with her, the more excited she became.

"Oooohhh" she gasped as his mouth trailed wet kisses down her neck until it closed firmly over her nipple. The louder she began to gasp for air, he suckled harder. "Aaahhhhhgggg….!" She nearly screamed as he pulled her taut nipple playfully with his mouth.

"You like that?" he grounded out huskily, raising his head from her breast.

"Mmmhhmmm…" she moaned, her head rolled back in pleasure.

Just through her haze she could feel his hand pulling her thong to one side as a probing finger swirled around in the pool of wetness around her pussy lips. She closed her eyes just as he chuckled.

"Oh yea, I can see that you like that a lot, you're really wet."

"Wet?"

"This," he said, sliding a teasing finger back and forth inside her, "see how easy it is for me to do that? Its because your body is turned on and its preparing you for me."

Serena panted loudly as he slipped in two fingers inside of her. "What do you mean?"

Darien chuckled at her body's response to him; she was shaking with her need. "Love, it means you want this inside of you," he said, taking her hand and placing it on his erection over his slacks.

A bright red flush stained serena's cheek, "Don't worry," he whispered, still gently coaxing his fingers inside of her, "I promise you'll like it,okay?"

And with that he withdrew his fingers and let her body fall against his to the floor. He laid her down on her back and kept her knees bent and slightly apart. She felt his big hands begin their gentle assault, massaging her thighs, kneading her flesh until they softened and opened wider for him.

"That feels really good," she said encouragingly.

Darien smiled, watching as she continued to moan softly, her lips parted in ecstasy. He removed his hands for a minute so he could remove his pants, and serena whimpered in protest.

"Shhh…" he said, sliding between her legs. "Give me your hand," she did, and he placed it around his straining member, "Hold me."

"Oh my god….this is how a penis feels like?" She gaped at him like a little girl who had never taken a sex ed class before.

He chuckled deep down in his throat, and grabbed her hands and placed them on his chest, "Yesss and you're going to make me cum if you keep squeezing me like that, sweetheart."

He slowly positioned himself between her legs stroking her wet lips with his member. She was dripping wet now and all he wanted to do was slide full length into her and claim her as his physically. But he knew this was her first time, and he had to be slow, he had to be gentle….she moved her hips, and his head slowly sunk into her opening

"Ungh…" she groaned, "Is it in?"

"Just a little," he said. "How does it feel?"

"It feels like you're all the way in."

He laughed. "I meant am I hurting you?"

She shook her head, "Wait!" she gasped, "Keep moving just like that, it feels so good."

Darien was gently gliding his tip in and out of her wet warmth, "Like that?"

She nodded and soon began to writhe underneath him. "Ohhhh…" she purred, arching her back, pushing her hips closer to him for more, and Darien inched his way little by little until he was fully sheathed inside her tight warmth.

"Fuck," he cursed, "You're so tight; I'm going to cum, don't move." His eyes were shut tight, a grimace on his face. He was using all the restraint he had to not pour himself into her.

Shelay still, sliding her hands against his chest, trying to calm her breathing. She had never felt anything this amazing before, anything this beautiful.

"Kiss me," she whispered, caressing his cheek, urging for him to look at her.

When he did, Serena saw the hunger there in his eyes. It was like he had been starving, starving for her. And he needed her; he couldn't survive if he didn't consume her. He consumed her in his kiss, devouring her, taking her into him, making her one with him, and she let him, she gave and gave until she could take it no more.

"Darien…I need you, please…it's okay," and with those pleading words, he drew her legs together and held them against her chest and he began a relentless pace inside her until he came, pouring his seed deep into her body that was shaking violently from spasms.

Pulling himself out of her, he lay beside her and held her tight. "I'm sorry, I have no self-control when it comes to you."

"Do you love me?" She asked groggily.

"Of course." He thought that was a silly question.

"Then never have self-control, please, when you're making love with me. It's my job to drive you mad."

Darien laughed, already pulling one of her legs over him so she straddled him.

"Deal."

And he showed her no self-control the second, third, or fourth time that night.

* * *

**End Note: **Please send me a review and let me know if you guys enjoyed this epilogue. I'd love feedback! Plus it motivates me to write more, hehehehe. But I'd really like to know if this is the closure everyone hoped for.


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